


Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble

by Milju_Jujae_tbz (Deedee78965)



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Cats, Demons, Dragons, Drama, Emotionally Constipated Hyunjae, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Fae & Fairies, Flirty Juyeon, Fluff, Ghosts, Juyeon is a good boy, M/M, Oblivious Hyunjae, Pining, Pixies, SIde!Sunnew, Shape Shifters, Side!Bbangkyu, Side!Moonbae, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves, Witch Curses, Witches, fox spirits, jujae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:15:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27587308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deedee78965/pseuds/Milju_Jujae_tbz
Summary: Hyunjae just moved into the upscale gated community TBZ - a front for a safe place for Supernaturals. His neighbour, however, is increasingly annoying and Hyunjae, much to his chagrin, finds himself tangled in situations with Juyeon more often than not.- Or, in other words, three times Hyunjae is frustrated with Juyeon’s easy going nature, and one time he finds himself the slightest bit enamoured. Just the slightest
Relationships: Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae/Lee Juyeon
Comments: 31
Kudos: 143
Collections: Die Jungz Fest (R1)





	Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my entry for the Die Jungz fest, which is a little TBZ fic festival that's been organized by the lovely Die Jungz admins on Twitter (@diejungzfest) 
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy~
> 
> Prompt #65: He's a witch who has just moved into town and finds himself in increasingly ridiculous situations with the town's magical and monstrous residents. Maybe he falls in love along the way.

Hyunjae adjusts the sunglasses he’s wearing, despite the cloudy weather outside. His car hums gently as he drives through Gangnam, headed towards the upscale gated community he recently has purchased a home in.

It’s a quite gloomy day in the fall - the clouds look angry and grey, and the trees barely have any leaves clinging to them, the ones amassing on the cold pavement all dead and shriveled up. But Hyunjae finds himself in good spirits, as he follows the GPS, humming a tune to himself as he drives towards his new home.

He’s lived everywhere at this point. The States, multiple countries in Europe, parts of South Africa, in different countries across Asia and in the Middle East - at one point, he even lived in the uppermost parts of Canada, the biting cold and harsh winters having him moving within less than a year. But he had never thought that he would find himself back in Korea, the home that he left long ago.

It’s changed quite considerably - of course, that’s a given, as the last time Hyunjae was in the country most roads were dust and the popular mode of transportation was a horse, if you could afford one, if not oxen. 

_‘The Joseon Dynasty’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he glances at the GPS once more. The singular reminder of his past was the _norigae_ that he had fashioned into an amulet of some sorts. It was his mother’s, a jade flower with royal blue tassels. He kept it tucked carefully into his jewelry box as a visual reminder of the one woman who cared for him, the one person who wanted him _alive._

His eyes are drawn to the GPS once more, the robotic voice saying, _“In 500 metres, turn right, and your destination will be on your right,”_ which has Hyunjae turning off the machine as he follows the instructions. And his eyes fall upon the shabby looking gate, as well as the multitude of low-rise buildings held within the walls. He smirks as he pulls up to the entrance, the startled looking security guard jumping up from his seat.

“E-excuse me sir! This is for residents only!” he exclaims. Hyunjae bites back the smile as he takes the sight in - the boy before him couldn’t be older than nineteen, though he knows better than to trust glamours. He reaches over and pulls out his papers that confirm his residence in TBZ Estates. “I’ve moved here recently,” he says, letting the guard look at the papers closely. Hyunjae glances at the boy, before noticing the hooked tail waving in the background of his little office.

“Oh! My apologies,” the security guard responds, and Hyunjae takes the papers back. “I’ll open the gate for you sir!”

“Thanks. Oh, and you might want to renew your glamour - your tail is showing,” Hyunjae quips, winking. The boy jumps, looking behind him, and Hyunjae does his best to hide the laugh that threatened to come out - the kid was obviously a demon of some sort, but after seeing his tail Hyunjae can tell he’s some sort of Earth Demon - quite harmless and relatively normal looking, if not for their tails and little knobby horns.

Hyunjae glances at the gate in front of him, already smiling to himself. He can tell why this place came highly recommended - the glamour was well done, to the point that Hyunjae wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he was a few centuries younger.

The inconspicuous facade of TBZ Estates was enough for anyone to gloss over it without thinking - the neighbouring apartment complexes were might more impressive and luxurious looking. But that made TBZ the perfect place for people like Hyunjae. People with the slightest difference in their abilities, knowledge and appearance.

He nods at the security guard as the gates open and he drives through, letting the glamour wash over him quite seamlessly. And he takes in the sight of his new home - a bustling city within the gated area of itself, with all kinds of folks from werewolves to faeries walking down the street, paying no mind to the newcomer in the area.

 _‘This is why it’s so highly recommended,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself as he drives further into the area. He knows his GPS is useless within here, which is why he’s pulling out a crudely drawn map that Younghoon had sent him, and follows the instructions there instead.

 _‘After all, it’s not like a human made GPS would be wired to navigate a special place made just for supernaturals,’_ Hyunjae muses, a smile tugging at his lips once more. Some of his homes had proven to be very distasteful once he got to them - he had a knack for feeling out places without actually experiencing them. But here, in TBZ - Hyunjae could feel that he wouldn’t be looking for a new home in a while.

 _‘The perfect place for a witch like me to settle down for a few years, at least,’_ Hyunjae thinks, his mind going back to his mother’s _norigae_ , the accessory a constant reminder to him to _survive_ , if not for himself, than for his mother who fought so hard to let her son who was deemed to be a threat, with his strange star shaped birthmark on his neck and the way his eyes glowed purple when his emotions got the better of him, just _live_. He purses his lips as he tries to will the memory away, eyes burning with the image of his mother yelling at him to _run_ , as the seven year old Hyunjae cried, his mother being dragged away by superstitious villagers and angry officials. 

Which is why Hyunjae continues to live and learn and experiment. His powers only grew as he grew older, from being able to cast simple spells to being able to create magicked objects entirely, this was the _real_ reason for Hyunjae’s constant moving. Well, that and the fact that he never ages a day, despite the fact that he’s probably close to 500 years old by now.

His inability to age is attributed to his witch type - like people have races and dogs have breeds, so do witches. And it was only after a fellow witch found little Hyunjae, struggling to survive in the woods and offered him shelter did he find out.

His type is a blueblood. Also known as the royal line, the most powerful and rare type of any witch to be born. Hyunjae’s birthmark is evidence enough, and his freakishly long lifespan even more so. He’s never met another blueblood, mostly ironclaws and yellowlegs, and he’s come to accept the fact he’s probably the only other blueblood on this planet. The rest have chosen solitude in the mountains of the world, or have willingly ended their lives due to the bleak and endless blackhole called eternity.

At this point, Hyunjae’s been there and done that - the existential crisis of a meaningless, never-ending life, the precipice of insanity, and the mind-numbing doubt of whether his life _matters_ or not. But in those moments, he’s always managed to somehow pull himself back - the image of his mother yelling snapping him back to his senses.

And so he continues on. Living. Moving to keep his mind occupied, to keep him on his toes, to keep his cover. Hyunjae doesn’t do friends - except for Younghoon and his boyfriend Changmin - the ice fae being a fellow supernatural who Hyunjae had saved - and was stubborn enough to continue following Hyunjae until the witch finally caved and allowed for Younghoon to be what he might call a ‘friend’. Changmin is a vampire who Hyunjae had found himself indebted to who is also conveniently Younghoon’s boyfriend - and so that solidified his ‘friendship’ with the two.

(While at first he found them annoying, he’s warmed up to the couple over the decades - it’s nice to have some positive connections in the supernatural world, as well as being invited over for lunch every now and then)

Glancing at his watch, Hyunjae finds that he’s early - Younghoon and Changmin had asked Hyunjae to come to their place sometime after 6 for dinner before going to his own apartment so they could help him unpack. But seeing as Hyunjae had overestimated himself, he finds himself parking his car outside a classy looking bar - the time of day where there wouldn’t be too many people, and would allow him to chat with the bartender.

That was one of Hyunjae’s number one rules - always get friendly with your local bartender - they know everyone and anyone in town, and will likely be your go-to person when it comes to dealing with any unusual residents.

He knows he’s attracting stares when he walks in. Hyunjae doesn’t bother concealing the powerful aura he radiates, not anymore. On humans, it’s something like an air of power and confidence, though on other supernaturals they can detect it as pure _energy_ and _power_ that’s radiating off of Hyunjae in waves. In the past, the stares made him uncomfortable, but he takes them in stride now as he goes to sit at the bar.

Besides, after how many years Hyunjae’s been mingling in and out of the supernatural circles, he’s got quite an attuned sense to auras. Most supernaturals have what Hyunjae can only describe as _colourful_ ones; Changmin’s is a dark blood red, with gold accents, Younghoon’s is an icy blue with swirls of turquoise and some greens in there, probably as an homage to his ice fae roots. He knows his own is a deep royal purple, something that the first witch who taught him everything he knows was surprised about.

She hadn’t bothered to explain what it meant to Hyunjae, and it wasn’t until a few hundred years later that he found out that deep, vibrant colours, like cobalt blue and sunshine yellow are reserved for only those with mighty power. It was also around this time that Hyunjae discovered that human have very dull and neutral colours; beige, sand beige, dark beige, maybe a tanned beige if they had some far back linage relating to a supernatural - it was boring, almost like looking for eyeshadows in the foundation section.

Of course, animals didn’t have any auras at all - unless magicked in some kind, like a familiar, they didn’t come with any specific aura - the same goes for plants as well, which Hyunjae is glad for, else he would probably have an over-stimulated mental breakdown whenever he went outside during summer time.

The bartender looks just like your average human, but upon closer inspection, he’s very obviously translucent. Dressed in period clothes, Hyunjae figures that he’s a ghost, killed probably around the time when the Japanese occupied Korea. He holds back a pitying sigh, as he sits and instead orders. “A whisky on the rocks, please,”

The man moves in such an otherworldly smooth way that has Hyunjae practically nodding to himself. Definitely a ghost. Not a poltergeist or anything menacing, but just your run of the mill ghost. Not surprising that he’s from the Japanese occupation - many of the ghosts that Hyunjae has come across who are particularly visible are from that time period. A lot of pent up emotions consistent with mostly anger and resentment - the best concoction for a ghost with strong ties to the world of the living.

“You’re new,” the ghost comments, as Hyunjae accepts the drink. Hyunjae doesn’t comment, only humming as he takes a sip. The ghost is dressed in a mix of modern and old - the _gat_ hanging around his neck is evidence enough that he was a nobleman in the world of the living, along with his _hanbok_. But the chained glasses perched on his nose and the more modern style of shoes are evident of the Japanese and Western influence that had begun to take hold of Korea when this man was killed.

“Just moved in. Wanted to see what the city was like before going to visit friends,” Hyunjae only says, appearing uninterested. The ghost studies him for a moment, before asking, “You’re a witch?”

Hyunjae pauses for a moment, before he laughs. Not many can tell what he is and those who mistaken him for a human are given the shock of their lifetime when Hyunjae decides to play around with them. “You’re good. Not many people can tell what I am,” Hyunjae replies, and the ghost shrugs. “Experience. It comes with the job - you’re probably the second witch I’ve ever seen, though,” he says, and Hyunjae nods, not expecting much. Witches in general, were very rare, and many didn’t like to make it known that they were one.

“My name is Hyunjae. Lee Hyunjae,” he suddenly says, looking at the ghost. The other seems surprised, but he smiles, something warm and soft that Hyunjae finds himself surprised how gentle he looks. “I’m Lee Sangyeon. Nice to meet you, Hyunjae,”

“In my experience, bartenders tend to know a lot about the places they work, and I don’t think I’m wrong in guessing you’re the same,” Hyunjae says, and Sangyeon hums, as he moves to clean one of the cups. The bar is quite empty, with only two other people in the area, both who seem to be keeping to themselves. Hyunjae takes another sip as he looks at Sangyeon expectantly, before the ghost finally turns back to him. “What do you want to know?”

“Nothing in particular. Anything that I should look out for?” Hyunjae responds, and the ghost is thinking for a moment, before he says, “Nothing comes to mind. Though, I should say, in a community full of supernaturals, there’s probably always going to be something strange afoot. But nothing alarming that I know of,” Sangyeon says, and Hyunjae hums. He hadn’t expected much - just coming in to get to know the bartender was all he came in with, in case he needed to consult him in the future.

Hyunjae pulls out a few crisp bills and places them on the counter as he finishes his drink. “I should head out. My friends would be expecting me soon,” he says, and Sangyeon is humming. “Where are you moving into?”

“Uhh, 1206 Creker Avenue,” Hyunjae replies, and Sangyeon is nodding before saying, “Oh!”

“A word of advice - I heard that a shifter lives in that apartment - some of the residents find him a bit odd, but he’s relatively harmless. Most are wary around him simply because he’s a shifter, but he’s nice enough,” Sangyeon says, and Hyunjae nods. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to watch out,”

Heading back to his car Hyunjae is thinking back to Sangyeon’s words. _‘A shifter, huh?’_ He’s never actually had the chance to encounter a shifter before - or, at least, he doesn’t think he has. Having done some pretty extensive research on all different types of supernaturals, shifters are notoriously hard to detect - it’s part of their powers, being able to fit in just about anywhere. He wonders briefly if he’ll ever get to encounter this shifter, before he’s making his way to Younghoon and Changmin’s place.

* * *

“Hyunjae!” 

Hyunjae lets out a ‘oof’ when he’s suddenly being embraced by Younghoon, the slightly taller fae crushing him in a hug. “It’s been too long!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Hyunjae says, though he can’t help the smile that does slide onto his face. He nods in greeting at Changmin, who’s smiling and nodding back, a blood packet in his hand as he pries his boyfriend away from Hyunjae. “How have you been, hyung?”

Hyunjae snorts at the use of honorifics - he’s gotten to the point that he can’t even really remember his age, though Changmin seems to be convinced Hyunjae is older than him, so he just lets it go - the word does make him smile, though. “Good. Hong Kong was nice, though I have to say that being back in Korea does have a nostalgic feeling coming back to me. It’s...it’s good to be back,” he comments, and Younghoon is dragging Hyunjae further into their apartment.

“Come! We ordered takeout and have it all set up in the dining room! And after that, we can bring you to your place!” Younghoon is exclaiming, the taller bouncing off like an over-excited puppy. Hyunjae can only smile as he follows, taking in the sight of Younghoon and Changmin’s cozy apartment. He spots some of the gothic decor Changmin must’ve brought with him from his coven dotting the house, as well as Younghoon’s state of the art microwave that he bought for whenever he accidentally freezes things. The apartment is definitely theirs - and the sight of all these little items that scream Younghoon and Changmin has Hyunjae smiling once more.

“Last time we met you said you were into Thai food,” Younghoon says, as they sit down. Hyunjae shrugs, as he says, “It’s been almost fifty years since we last saw each other,” and Younghoon is pouting. “I know!!! It’s been wayyy too long, Hyunjae-ah,” he says, as Changmin begins to open the boxes. “You’ll be staying here for a while, though, right?” 

Hyunjae pauses, before he shrugs once more. “Not sure. I do like the vibe of the community so far, so we’ll see. Maybe,”

“We’ve been living here for what, five years now? And not a single complaint! It’s really a good place to live,” Changmin comments, as Hyunjae begins to take some grilled vegetables onto his plate. “Yeah! The community is really inviting, and everyone seems to be relatively nice. We can introduce you to some of our friends!” Younghoon says, and Hyunjae is smiling. “That would be nice. You wouldn’t happen to know an imoogi by chance? It’s for my latest book,” Hyunjae asks. Being an author of a fantasy series (which is a bit ironic, considering, but humans are endlessly fascinated with the supernatural and he makes good money) he’s been hoping to get some more inspiration by meeting an actual imoogi - a lesser form of a dragon which has both a human and a serpent form. He knows most of them stay in Korea, which is part of the reason he agreed to move to this community.

“Actually, we do! Jacob hyung is an imoogi and I’m sure he’d love to sit down with you! Though his gumiho boyfriend might want to join,” Changmin says, and Hyunjae nods. He knows how gumiho’s are - how overprotective they are of their significant others, and how easily jealous they can get. It’s in their nature, especially if their partner is someone they are deeply attached to.

“That won’t be a problem. I know my limits,” Hyunjae says, and the other two laugh. “You’ll like Kevin, though! He’s nothing like other gumiho’s I’ve met - definitely more relaxed, and a hundred times easier to talk to,” Changmin says, making Hyunjae smile.

“Speaking of others, Changminnie actually knows someone who lives in your apartment!” Younghoon says, and Hyunjae is glancing up from taking a bite of his chicken. “Really?”

“Oh yeah! Lee Juyeon, he goes to the same gym as me and we actually sometimes workout together. From what I know, though, he said he wouldn’t be around for the rest of this month. When he comes back, I’ll definitely introduce him to you - he’s a really nice guy,” Changmin says, and Hyunjae nods. “I stopped by one of the bars on the way here and met Sangyeon - he told me that there’s a shifter that lives there,”

“You met Sangyeon hyung already? Wow, you move fast,” Younghoon says, and Changmin chimes in almost immediately after saying, “That ‘shifter’ would actually be Juyeon,” 

“Really?” Hyunjae’s interest is definitely piqued. Changmin nods and Hyunjae finds himself wanting to know more. “I’ve never met a shifter before,” he states, playing with a piece of chicken on his plate. He glances at Changmin, who’s smiling, as he says, “I’ll be sure to introduce you. I think you’d like him. He’s a nice guy - easy on the eyes too,” Changmin says, winking. The action earns a whine and a slight nudge from Younghoon, which has both Changmin and Hyunjae laughing - the vampire is obviously joking, but Younghoon’s reactions are _adorable._

“I’m not entirely sure I can truly believe if a shifter is good looking or not - can’t they just change any part of themselves to look handsome?” Hyunjae says, and Changmin shrugs. “I guess. But I’ve seen Juyeon in his true form - he definitely doesn’t need to change anything about himself,” Changmin says, and Younghoon perks up at that. “True form? You mean like, he has a form like Mystique from X-men?!” 

Hyunjae is rolling his eyes, as he chews on some rice, and Changmin laughs, nudging Younghoon once more. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” he says, making Younghoon grin. 

“I’m sure if you tell him it’s for your book, Juyeon would be more than happy to tell you everything about him and his species - I’ll let you know when he tells me he arrives back in TBZ,” Changmin says warmly, and Hyunjae smiles, nodding. “Thanks, Changmin-ah,”

The vampire smiles at him, a flash of his fangs appearing as he does so. The rest of the dinner is carried out in relative silence - a few quips from Younghoon here, and a few words from Changmin there, but Hyunjae is mostly happy to be out of his car in and eating some hot food, silently observing his friends as he thinks to himself. This new town is definitely much bigger than he was led to believe - which isn’t necessarily _bad_ but at the same time it’s neither good either. Big towns meant more people, and more people meant more room for mistakes.

 _‘Either way. I’m going to be here for a while, it seems,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself. It’ll be nice to see Younghoon and Changmin regularly, and the abundance of supernaturals definitely will be a plus in writing his book. He’s definitely very intrigued by this Juyeon character, however, and finds himself eager to learn more.

* * *

Hyunjae huffs to himself as he scans the doors in front of him. A glance at his phone confirms that his apartment is indeed number 612, and he walks along the narrow hallway, an “ah!” leaving his lips when he spots the door.

After dinner, Changmin and Younghoon followed Hyunjae’s car to his new apartment, the landlord being a dokkaebi who was eager to please - Hyunjae could tell instantly that the man was a bootlicker, especially to those with money and power.

Luckily for him, Hyunjae had both, which meant living here would be much easier - hopefully, his status and wealth would allow for him to get the landlord to bend his rules when needed.

Changmin and Younghoon are currently downstairs, helping to unload and carry some of Hyunjae’s things that couldn’t be transported in his magicked suitcase or his magicked pockets, as Hyunjae tracks down his apartment, opening the door with the code given to him by the landlord.

The beep that comes from keying in the right code has Hyunjae opening the door - the apartment is definitely a bit on the smaller side, but it’s more than enough room for Hyunjae. He‘s worked and lived with much less in the past - this apartment will do, and quite nicely too.

The foyer leads into the living room, with the kitchen beside where the entrance is. The ceiling to floor glass windows that decorate the back of the living room, leading to a small balcony is definitely a nice touch, and just by turning his head sideways, Hyunjae can spot the bedroom at one end, the bathroom connected to the space and a small room at the other - this one being the study that Hyunjae would turn into his laboratory.

 _‘I should ask the landlord if magic seals are allowed on doors,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he sets his suitcase down in the middle of the room.

Younghoon and Changmin come into the room soon after, both of them carrying a suitcase each and a silken wrapped _Najeonchilgi_ \- A traditional Korean jewlery box.

“Hey, you know that Juyeon, this shifter I was telling you about, he’s actually your neighbour?” Changmin says, as he sets the _Najeonchilgi_ down gently.”Room 613, so you might run into him before I even get a chance to introduce you two!”

“Really?” Hyunjae mills over it, as he reaches out with his senses - he knows that Changmin said that Juyeon wasn’t around currently, but he was hoping he would be able to get an idea of what a shifter’s aura was like - he wonders if it’s a muted neutral tone, like most humans, or if it’s something that can’t be described at all. He doesn't feel anything out of the ordinary, and so he assumes he's been gone for too long. _'Whatever, I'll get to see what it's like when I meet him,'_

Hyunjae is taking the box first, wrapping the silk and pulling out the traditionally styled jewelry box. It’s on the larger side, and one of Hyunjae’s most prized (and important) possessions, as he sets the box gently onto the ground.

“You really gotta get with the times, hyung. No one has those things anymore, except for like, _ahjummas_ ,” Younghoon says, and Hyunjae rolls his eyes. “I don’t have time to create a new one - besides, it’s pretty,” Hyunjae says, smoothing a hand over the lacquered surface. Younghoon is letting out a huff, as Hyunjae opens the box, a bright light being emitted from the portal contained inside. 

“Come on. There’s some things I need you guys to help me move,” Hyunjae says, as he drops down into the portal. It takes him to what he likes to call his 'multi-dimensional closet', a room he created within the folds of the fabric of space and time that is currently cluttered with all his furniture from his past home.

It’s an octagonal room, the walls pastel blue and having multiple shelves lining the walls. They hold everything, from magicked items to scrapbooks Hyunjae has made in the past, as well as a large closet and multiple drawers that hold the centuries of clothes Hyunjae has accumulated over the years.

“I’ve always hated the feeling of dropping through those,” Younghoon states, as he lands next to Changmin. His boyfriend is laughing at him, as Hyunjae puts his hands on his hips, staring at all the furniture, from tables to shelves, along with all the boxes stacked alongside the pastel blue coloured walls of his room.

“So. Who wants to move the boxes?” Hyunjae asks, turning to look at his friend, who both let out a simultaneous big sigh.

“We definitely got our work cut out for us,” Changmin says to himself, probably regretting volunteering to help Hyunjae unpack.

* * *

It’s after he’s able to place the last box down does Hyunjae let out a soft sigh as he sits down. While being a witch and having literal magic powers did help moving a lot (and saved on space at times too) it didn’t mean that some of his things didn’t have to be scooped into boxes, especially those that he knew he would have to leave out in his new home.

He got Younghoon and Changmin to move all the furniture into his new home, before sending the couple off with multiple ‘thank you’s and apologizing as well, feeling (slightly) bad that he had to put them through that. Though he does reason with himself that, _‘They did volunteer,’_ so they really have no one to blame but themselves.

“God, unpacking isn’t going to be fun,” Hyunjae mumbles to himself. He wipes the back of his hand against his forehead, eyes staring off into the distance when he hears a soft “meow”.

Looking up, Hyunjae spots a black cat approaching him. He blinks at the animal, before glancing at the open balcony door, figuring it must’ve snuck in through there. The cat is relatively small and lean, with a single white paw that Hyunjae finds quite adorable. It’s eyes are striking - the single blue eye and the other amber coloured one is an interesting combination that Hyunjae finds quite beautiful.

“Hello there,” Hyunjae says, voice soft as he looks at the animal. The cat regards him with almost a cautious look, head tilted to the side and Hyunjae smiles. He leans down and extends a hand, watching as the cat looks at him once more, before coming to sniff him.

Hyunjae watches as the cat blinks at him once more, before meowing softly, and the witch can’t hold back a small laugh. The cat is really adorable - and Hyunjae finds himself humming to himself as he reaches to scratch the chin of the animal. “What’s your name, hrm?”

Of course, he gets a purr as an answer, the eyes of the cat closing in pleasure. Hyunjae gently pets the top of the cat’s head, running a hand down it’s back. The sleek, soft fur gives Hyunjae the impression that this cat belongs to someone - it seems well groomed and taken care of, and is obviously not afraid of humans.

“Too bad you don’t have a collar,” Hyunjae says aloud, as he strokes the animal. He hums to himself as he stares at the cat, the said animal also regarding him with its mismatched eyes. 

After a moment of petting the cute animal, Hyunjae straightens up, stretching with a groan. His back is aching from being in a car all day, and he really would love nothing more than to just lie down.

 _‘Good thing I got Younghoon and Changmin to help me with moving the bed,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself as he stands up. The cat moves back, tail swishing elegantly as he stares up at Hyunjae, meowing once more.

“You’re adorable, I’d love to keep you here,” Hyunjae states as he looks down at the small animal. “But it seems that you have an owner somewhere,” he continues, crouching down to run a finger over the animal’s head. The cat looks up at him, with almost a curious look in its eyes, and Hyunjae smiles once more.

“Gods, you’re cute. Maybe I should get my own cat,” Hyunjae says to himself, before shaking his head. There’s a reason why he doesn’t do pets - he’ll get too attached to something that definitely won’t live as long as him.

“Goodbye mister cat. It was nice meeting you,” Hyunjae says, as he watches the cat move towards the balcony. It seems to have almost sensed that Hyunjae was getting ready to lie down, as it steps outside, turning around to regard Hyunjae once more, before hopping onto the balcony next door.

Hyunjae watches from inside his apartment, smiling. What a funny cat.

* * *

The next day, Hyunjae finds himself sorting boxes.

He had managed to get somewhat settled with the bare necessities - toiletries, basic potion making ingredients, some clothes (he’s thinking of moving his entire wardrobe into his little multidimensional closet, though he supposes keeping some of his favourites in his drawers would also make sense) and some other things he found in some of the boxes he unpacked.

 _‘I need to sort all this crap before I can even start with anything,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he digs through a box labeled, “Important stuff” shaking his head as he pulls out a decorative crystal from one of the many caves he visited in the alps. “Why the hell is this in here?”

Huffing, he places the rock on the kitchen table, as he pulls out important potion books and other hastily shoved items, when he hears a strange noise.

Looking up, a small smile comes to his lips when he sees the same cat from yesterday pawing at the balcony door. A muffled “meow” can be heard through the glass, and Hyunjae is placing the books down on the table, as he goes to open the glass door.

“It’s you again!” Hyunjae says, looking down at the cat. He smiles when the cat rubs itself against his legs in greeting, before prowling into his apartment, and Hyunjae watches the feline leap onto one of the chairs gracefully, before jumping onto the kitchen table to peer inside the box.

“Ugh, the joys of moving,” Hyunjae says aloud, as he laughs when the cat meows as if to say “I know, right?” Running a hand down it’s sleek body, Hyunjae decides to take everything out of the box - it’s going to have to all come out anyways, and places the multitude of items on the table.

He places the box on the floor, before looking at the cat once more, the little creature sniffing some of the items and peering curiously at others. It steps carefully around the random stuff on the table, unused potion bottles, decorative souvenirs he likes to keep on display, as well as some candles and other trinkets that Hyunjae had lying around his previous home in Hong Kong that he ended up just carelessly tossing into this box.

The cat is placing it’s delicate white paw on the old potion book Hyunjae had set on the counter, the ancient document barely being held together by the preservation spell Hyunjae had set on it. The witch is rolling his eyes, as he picks the old thing up, saying, “As much as I’d like to throw this thing away, it’s pretty important,” 

Hyunjae is gathering some other things that’ll have to join him in the laboratory, the other potion books and some crystals that have interesting magical properties, before walking towards the side room, the cat undoubtedly following him.

Having been able to block out the light with the royal purple drape curtains he put up over the only window in the room, Hyunjae is whispering a spell to the many enchanted crystals he had harvested from his time in the Himalayas. A soft, purple glow fills the room, and Hyunjae’s lips quirk up into a smile at hearing the cat let out what he can only describe as a surprised meow, as Hyunjae sets his things down on the table in the center of the room.

He had gotten Changmin and Younghoon to help him with moving some of the bigger furniture before they left the other day, like Hyunjae’s old work table and some shelves - he could do it himself, but he hated the feeling of wasting so much of his energy on magic to move big objects; afterwards he always just felt the need to nap for the next week or so.

Keeping an eye on the cat, Hyunjae places some books on his shelves, using that decorative crystal from earlier as a book end. The crystals end up on one of the other shelves as well, lined up neatly for whenever he needs to grab them when making potions/casting spells.

The next few hours consists of Hyunjae walking to multiple parts of his apartment, just putting things away and trying to make it all more homey. Surprisingly, the cat seems content just to follow him where he goes, observing what Hyunjae’s doing and not causing any trouble. It’s strange, for sure, but Hyunjae feels a little bit less stupid for talking out loud to himself with the cat there.

It’s when Hyunjae is sitting on his couch, drinking some water as he takes a break from moving, that the cat jumps up to sit himself neatly beside him, still watching Hyunjae with those mismatched eyes. Looking down at the cat, he’s stroking his fur absently, before saying, “I need something to call you,”

The cat stares at him, and Hyunjae is pausing as he stares at the cat for a moment. “What if I call you Midnight? I think that suits you,” he says to the cat and Midnight looks at him before meowing. Hyunjae smiles at the cute action, before letting himself fall back onto the couch. “I don’t know why I ask as if you can understand me,” Hyunjae says out loud, head leaning back to rest. 

After another minute or so, Hyunjae gets up and finds some of his dishes, before washing a wooden bowl and filling it with water and leaving it on the floor for easy access if Midnight gets thirsty. He isn’t sure what exactly cats can eat, but he opens up a can of tuna and leaves it on the countertop, knowing that Midnight is able to jump onto the counter if needed. 

“Hopefully this doesn’t kill you,” Hyunjae says, as he sets the tuna down. Midnight meows in response, his tail swishing gracefully, as he goes to sniff the tuna, before taking a bite. Satisfied that his furry friend isn’t dropping dead after a few mouthfuls, Hyunjae continues to move boxes, conjuring a small portal to toss the empty ones into so he can retrieve them when he has to move once more.

He goes back to organizing his apartment, working on washing all the dishes and cutlery, before finding a place for them in his new kitchen. After finally getting through three more boxes, Hyunjae decides to call for takeout, in no mood to cook for himself.

After ordering a serving of _samgyeopsal_ with a side of _tteokbokki_ and _soondae_ , Hyunjae drags himself to his room to change his clothes - his pajamas that he ended up wearing the entire day are sweaty and dusty, and he makes a face as he peels them off his body.

Tossing them into the hamper, he notices Midnight has followed him here too. The cat stares up at him, Hyunjae left in nothing but his boxers, before suddenly turning around and going back into the main area. A small laugh leaves Hyunjae - some of the small actions Midnight does are so very _human-like_ that it’s funny.

He changes into another set of clothes, not knowing if he has enough time to shower depending on how fast this delivery man is. And within the next twenty minutes, Hyunjae is tucking into his own meal, thankful that he’s survived a day of unpacking.

He’s about halfway through his food, while reading this article on his phone when he hears a “Mrrrow!” and he looks up to see Midnight pawing at the balcony door. Hyunjae stares at him for a moment, before getting up to slide the glass open just enough for the cat to slip through, and Midnight is rubbing himself against Hyunjae’s leg, purring, before walking out, and turning around to look at him. 

A smile is on Hyunjae’s face as he bends down to pet the cat’s head. “It was nice seeing you again, Midnight,” Hyunjae says, and the cat purrs, before meowing once more. Hyunjae watches as he slinks off to one of the other balconies, jumping gracefully from ledge to ledge, before he’s out of sight. A sigh leaves his lips, as he closes the sliding door, and goes back to eating his now cold _tteok_.

He falls asleep easily that night, head filled with thoughts about cats and dusty boxes.

Though the next morning, Hyunjae is pleasantly surprised when he walks into the main room of his apartment, half awake, and turns to see Midnight sitting patiently on the balcony, a soft ‘meow’ leaving him when Hyunjae spots him.

It would be a lie to say that the sight of the cat doesn’t put a smile on his face, as he goes to let him in, rubbing his eye as he does so.

* * *

As the weeks pass by, Hyunjae falls into routine easily enough. Wake up. Wash up. Let Midnight in. Do some stuff around the house, from cleaning to organizing to potion and spell practicing or just lounging on the couch, the cat usually follows Hyunjae around. And like clockwork, around six is when Midnight decides to leave, but not without letting Hyunjae know.

It’s cute, the way he’ll come meow at Hyunjae, or patiently wait until Hyunjae looks at him, making eye contact with the human before he slips out the door and goes back to wherever he stays. Hyunjae smiles to himself - while he did have a “no attachments” rule, he wouldn’t mind having Midnight as a pet.

 _‘I wonder if his owners get worried about him whenever he spends the entire day out,’_ Hyunjae vaguely thinks to himself. He’s lying on his sofa in the living room, watching some drama that’s playing on TV and snacking on some air fried cauliflower chips (initially he was disgusted, but they’re oddly addicting - Changmin gave them to him and Hyunjae couldn’t really say no) with Midnight curled up by his stomach, napping.

He blindly strokes the cat as he finds himself becoming absorbed into the drama, when his phone rings, scaring the living daylights out of both of them. Hyunjae lets out a high-pitched squeak and Midnight is bolting up at the sound. 

Clutching his chest, Hyunjae drags himself over to the device, frowning to himself. It’s from Changmin, and Hyunjae has half the mind to not answer just for the fact that his heart is pounding in his chest - just because he’s a witch, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get scared from jump-scares.

Midnight still seems to be scanning the room for any intruders, which has Hyunjae smiling a bit as he hits the answer button. “Hello?”

 _“Hyung! I managed to get in touch with Jacob hyung, the imoogi that Younghoonie was telling you about,”_ Changmin says, and the news has Hyunjae perking up. “Oh? And what did he say?”

 _“Him and Kev are a bit busy for the next week, but the week after they’re free to meet anytime! Cobbie hyung sounds like he’s more than happy to be interviewed for your book,”_ Changmin chirps and Hyunjae is smiling. “Really? Thanks Changmin-ah,”

Changmin laughs, before saying, _“Don’t mention it! I owe you one, especially after you saved me and Younghoon’s asses the last time we went to Fiji. Which is why when Juyeon gets back next week, I’ll also do my best to get him to come visit you for an interview as well,”_

Hyunjae lets out a hum. He had almost forgotten about this shifter neighbour of his. Nonetheless, his interest is still piqued, which is why he says, “That’ll be great. I’m actually very interested in meeting both of them, especially this Juyeon character,”

He hears Midnight let out a meow from where he is, pawing at his empty bowl of water, and Hyunjae, too lazy to get up, waves his fingers to open the fridge door from his spot on the couch, levitating the cold bottle of water he keeps in there for him (and Midnight) to drink. It pours itself into the wooden bowl without spilling a drop before Hyunjae is flicking his fingers to toss it away.

The witch is too busy talking with Changmin to notice the admiration and pure awe in the cat’s eyes, as Midnight pads towards the bowl peering at the liquid inside of it.

 _“I gotta go, I promised Younghoon that we would check out the new restaurant across the street - he’ll be pissed if I bail on him,”_ Changmin is saying and Hyunjae hums, before he says, “Alright then. I’ll talk to you later,

A bit miffed that it was a phone call that startled him so badly, he can only be thankful that at least, no one was there to witness it. He hopes Changmin couldn’t hear the bit of panic in his voice when he answered the call, or the thudding of his heart in his chest.

 _‘Gods, I should change my ringtone to something less alarming,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he gets comfortable on the couch once more to continue watching the drama.

* * *

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck this is not good, fuck,” Hyunjae is chanting under his breath, as he runs to grab a water bottle from the fridge. He had thought it would be a good idea to try cooking today, since he had taken the time to go get some actual groceries the day before (he had to go pick up some more canned tuna, which is why he decided to grab some groceries as well. And some cat treats) which is why he decided to start with some simple eggs.

Well, one thing turned into another, and the next thing Hyunjae knew he could smell smoke, which is why he turned from where he was peeling an apple to see the stove on fire.

The panic that set in is what had him flailing, trying to put out the fire with water, which did nothing but only seemed to fan the flames even more, if anything. He can hear Midnight’s distressed meowing as he sits on the island, watching Hyunjae struggle, and his brain finally catches up with him, which is why Hyunjae is sprinting to his laboratory, and coming out armed with an ice crystal as well as a book of spells if worse came worse.

Thankfully, chucking the ice crystal at the fire managed to kill it, which had Hyunjae literally sagging with relief. He can’t believe he had to sacrifice an ice crystal to put a fire out in his own house (he makes a mental note to buy some fire extinguishers next time he goes out) and he’s going over to turn off the heat (maybe that would’ve been a good first step) before picking up the pan and frowning at what was left of the badly charred eggs that lay in the frying pan.

A meow from Midnight gets Hyunjae’s attention, the cat watching him with what Hyunjae can only describe as laughter in his eyes, as his tail flicks amusedly. The witch narrows his eyes at the cat, before saying, “I had it all under control!” trying to defend his position to a cat. He realizes how pathetic this all looks, which is why he lets out a sigh, before dumping the pan into the sink and going to grab his phone. Maybe sticking with take out for a while would be better.

In the meantime, he settles back onto the couch to watch his drama. While he would admit that initially, he found the idea dumb (when Younghoon introduced the idea of watching dramas to him, he did give the fae a bit of a hard time), after seeing some on TV, Hyunjae has to say his opinion on Korean dramas have changed.

He’s in the middle of watching the main male lead confess his undying love to the female lead who's been badly wounded, the woman's bleeding out in the streets as the two characters grip each other, tears mixing between the the desperately cried "I love you"s.

Hyunjae can’t help the way tears begin to well up in his eyes as he watches the scene. He’s so enraptured by the drama, as his hands blindly pet the cat that has settled itself in Hyunjae’s lap, that he doesn't even realize that he’s _crying_ while watching the drama.

He sniffles, the sound getting the cat’s attention as Midnight lets out a soft “meow” and Hyunjae is glancing down at the cat who seems to be judging Hyunjae from where he’s sitting. The witch can’t help the way his bottom lip wobbles, as he says, “It’s just so _sad!_ ” as he looks back to the dramatic scene, bawling some more.

(The only saving grace is that Younghoon wasn’t here to witness his emotional breakdown over a fictional story created by humans. Especially after Hyunjae’s dismissal of dramas because, “those silly things that humans create are a desperate attempt to make you feel something fake and be satisfied with it.)

For once, he’s glad that the delivery man seems to have gotten lost on the way to his building, as he’s able to somewhat calm himself down enough to receive his takeout, not caring about the way his eyes and nose is red, as well as his face blotchy after bawling into the pillows, a pile of tissues, as well as Midnight at one point, the cat seemingly unamused at the way his furry body was being used as a makeshift tissue. 

_‘It’s his fault for being the closest soft thing,’_ Hyunjae has reasoned with himself when he let the squirming animal go, a miffed ‘meow’ leaving his mouth as he went over to the far end of the sofa to delicately clean himself.

Hyunjae feels so drained. The day has been such an emotional rollercoaster already, and he feels like he’s just woken up. Which is why when it’s dinner time, Hyunjae doesn’t even hesitate to pop out the sparkling water.

Witches don’t get drunk - at least, not on alcohol. Hyunjae’s an excellent friend to bring along with you to a club or a bar since regular alcohol doesn’t affect him at all. Distilled sparkling water, on the other hand, is a different story. Which is why he hesitated for a moment at the grocery store, before loading a box of Perrier bottles into his cart, as a treat.

It’s only 5 pm, but Hyunjae tells himself he won’t be going anywhere anyways, and he’ll only have a little. Besides, he got a lot done today - he finally put up a spell on his balcony so that even if his doors were wide open, no one could come in or out with the only exception being Midnight, after using some of the fur he shed to allow him to be the exempted from the protective spell.

 _‘Now I don’t have to worry about letting him in every morning,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he had left the balcony doors open just enough for Midnight to slide out. Not that it matters - his protective spell is stronger than any door, glass or metal, could ever be.

So he has no regrets as he starts digging into his meal, drinking straight from the bottle because he hasn’t really found the wine glasses yet.

And okay, maybe he gets a _little_ bit distracted with watching a variety show while eating. And maybe he ends up drinking more than he had decided to, since at one point, he goes to take another swig of the sparkling water only to find that the 750ml glass bottle is empty.

Maybe that would explain why he feels so nice.

“Midniiiiight!” Hyunjae calls out, words slurred and eyes slightly unfocused. He’s blinking slowly, and it’s a moment later that Midnight seems to have materialized out of thin air in front of him - or maybe it’s because of his long blinks. Either way, Hyunjae is grinning stupidly, as he reaches out to rub the cat’s face.

“You’re so adorable, yes you are! Such a good little kitty,” Hyunjae is coo-ing, and poor Midnight is being subjected to Hyunjae’s drunken ramblings as he pokes and prods at the small cat for the next few minutes, before Midnight finally manages to escape, gracefully jumping to a higher shelf for safety.

Hyunjae doesn’t remember much else from that night. But when he wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache, he finds himself in bed, in his pajamas, with his dishes from last night gone. 

He has no idea how this happened - not remembering anything past attacking Midnight with his love (which okay, he does feel a little bit bad for) everything else is a blacked out blur. Except…

Fragments of a deep voice, big, careful hands, and a brush of lips against his forehead. Hyunjae is shaking his head, as his hand automatically goes up to touch the crown of his own head, eyes wide. No, he must be getting his dreams mixed with reality - there’s no way anyone would be able to get into his apartment.

 _‘I must’ve cleaned it up with my magic out of habit,’_ Hyunjae tells himself. He doesn’t acknowledge how that’s never happened to him before, not how the spot this mystery dream man kissed seems to echo with the phantom feeling of gentle lips against his skin.

* * *

Hyunjae tries not to worry. But he can’t help it.

Midnight hasn’t been coming around lately, and Hyunjae tells himself it might be because his owners went on a trip, or perhaps he got bored of just laying around in Hyunjae’s apartment. But despite all these “what if’s” Hyunjae still frets, and still finds himself leaving his balcony door slightly ajar, his spell to only allow the cat to pass through still in place.

Either way, Hyunjae finds himself forcing himself to worry later, because Changmin had let Hyunjae know Juyeon was back in town and was excited to introduce the two. Seeing as how they’re neighbours, Hyunjae decided it would be nice to be on good terms with him, and took the time to make himself look decent.

 _‘Just because he’s a shifter, doesn’t mean all of us can just change what we want about ourselves,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he applies some concealer. 

Changmin had said he was meeting with Juyeon for something (the vampire didn’t specify, and Hyunjae didn’t ask) and would come by Hyunjae’s place around 3 - and so once Hyunjae is done making himself (and his apartment) look presentable, he sits down to work on his novel a bit more. He was thinking of writing in a cat sidekick into the book, but the idea now just has him feeling sad.

He looks up from his spot in the living room once more, eyes going to the balcony and letting out a sigh when there’s no sign of the cat. _‘I hope he didn’t get hurt, or anything,’_

He’s not left to worry for too long, because there’s a knock at the door, and instinctively Hyunjae reaches out with his senses - he can tell Changmin is here, but it seems like he’s alone. Wondering what might’ve happened, he goes to open the door, expecting Changmin to say something about how Juyeon got food poisoning or something.

Only, Changmin isn’t alone. Behind him is a tall man, probably the same height as Hyunjae himself, with black hair and a handsome smile. But that’s not all.

Hyunjae feels the blood draining from his face. He can’t sense Juyeon at _all_. It’s like he’s not even here, as if he didn’t exist. He doesn’t even hear Changmin as he looks at him, and his eyes widen slightly when he sees the other man’s _eyes_.

One blue. One amber.

His stomach turns. Midnight. The human-like way he would act, the unnerving way he seemed so aware of what was happening, the way he just seemed so damn _smart_. 

_‘Oh my god,’_ Hyunjae thinks. He doesn’t even realize he’s gawking until Juyeon is giving a small, knowing smile. And Hyunjae is suddenly furious.

 _‘I can’t believe he fucking tricked me for a solid three weeks? What the fuck?!’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself. His mind very helpfully decides to remind him of all the stupid shit he did, and Hyunjae is groaning. Fuck.

“Hey, hyung? Is everything alright?” Hyunjae almost forgot Changmin was there - he looks up at the vampire, eyes shifting to the man behind him for a moment, before shaking his head. “Sorry. I didn’t get enough sleep last night, uh...you can come in,” he says awkwardly.

He doesn’t hide the way he narrows his eyes at Juyeon, and the shifter doesn’t even flinch - if anything, his smile grows and Hyunjae wants to punch his stupidly handsome face.

“So, Juyeonnie! This is Hyunjae hyung, he just moved here recently, like I told you,” Changmin is saying as the two settle on Hyunjae’s couch while the witch trails behind them, trying to keep the frown off his face at this newly found information. He forces a pleasant smile to his features, as Juyeon nods, saying, “I hope we can become well acquainted with each other, Hyunjae-sshi,” Juyeon says, the knowing smile on his cat-like features.

It takes everything in him to not go over to the other man and slap him. 

“Of course. I would like that as well, _Juyeon-sshi_.”

Changmin doesn’t seem to notice the obvious tension between the two, as he claps his hand excitedly. “I told you how hyung is writing a book, right? He takes inspiration from supernaturals as was hoping if he could interview you for his novel!” Changmin says, and Hyunjae almost protests, wanting to say that he’s okay now, that he doesn’t really need a shifter in his series if it wasn’t for the fact he had already planned out how some of the future acts would go.

“I’d love to tell you everything you wanted to know, _hyung_ ,” Juyeon practically _purrs_ , in such a way that Hyunjae can only be reminded of how that bastard tricked him. He grits his teeth as he says, “Lovely. And just Hyunjae is fine,”

Being unable to hold back that last remark, there’s a moment of silence, as Hyunjae stares down the shifter, Juyeon still with that insufferable grin on his face that makes it seem like he knows something you don’t, before Changmin is breaking it, by standing up.

“Right! I have some things to do, so you two have fun! Oh right, and Hyunjae hyung,” Changmin says as he walks to the door, forcing Hyunjae to stop glaring at the odd-eyed man on his couch. “You’re invited to dinner at my place on Thursday! Both you and Juyeon,” Changmin calls. Hyunjae almost wants to say it’s fine, but Changmin is already rushing out the door, Juyeon calling out a farewell as he goes.

As soon as the sound of his door shutting echoes through the room, Hyunjae is glaring at Juyeon.

“I can’t believe you _tricked_ me for a whole three weeks!” Hyunjae says, barely being able to contain himself. He doesn’t know why he’s so upset over a _cat_ , but Juyeon’s expression doesn’t change one bit and it only enrages Hyunjae even more.

“I didn’t trick anyone. You never suspected anything,” Juyeon says, reclining casually on the couch that he would lay on with Midnight tucked at his side. Hyunjae is seething at the memory, as he has no comeback, and only marches to his room.

Juyeon makes the move to follow him but Hyunjae is saying, “You stay put. Let’s get this dam interview over with,” He gets out, not even looking back to see if Juyeon obeys.

Grabbing his laptop, Hyunjae takes a few breaths to calm himself. _‘Ignore the fact your neighbour is an actual asshole and just get this_ done. _After dinner on Thursday, you can just live the rest of your life ignoring his stupid existence,’_ Hyunjae tells himself, forcing himself to be calm.

He returns to the living room, Juyeon still sitting on the couch where Hyunjae left him, watching him with the same penetrating stare Midnight would. It used to not bother Hyunjae, but now, it’s just annoying.

Sitting himself down as far away from Juyeon as possible, he doesn’t deign the shifter with a single glance as he opens his laptop, and asks, “Name.”

Juyeon doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest, as he responds with, “Lee Juyeon,” and Hyunjae is typing it into his document he has open.

“Age,”

“Twenty-two,”

The answer has Hyunjae pausing for a split second, an eyebrow raising. Most supernaturals he encounters are much older, having lived for at least a few decades. The fact that Juyeon is only twenty two years old is surprising.

The slight action doesn’t go unnoticed by the shifter, as he says, “Surprised? Why, how old are you, hyung?”

Hyunjae bites the inside of his mouth to keep himself from retorting. “I’ll be the ones asking the questions here. And I told you, just Hyunjae is fine.”

“But Changmin gets to call you hyung,” Juyeon points out, and Hyunjae ignores it, continuing on. “Species,”

“Well, I guess I’m what you would call a shifter. I can shape-shift into practically anything,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae can’t help it when he asks, “Can you shift into a filing cabinet?”

The question seems to catch Juyeon off-guard for a moment as he blinks at him. “What? Why would I want to do that?” 

“I said that _I_ would be the one asking questions here,” Hyunjae reiterates, pausing, before saying, “So can you?”

“Okay, _fine_ , I can shape-shift into any _living_ thing,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae can’t help it when he asks, “What about into a plant?”

Juyeon, for once, seems slightly ticked, and the small accomplishment has Hyunjae smiling inside. He bits back the grin, as Juyeon huffs lightly, before saying, “I can shape-shift into any _sentient_ living thing,”

Hyunjae is typing that down, before asking, “So. What else can you do?” trying to appear uninterested, despite burning with curiosity about the way he can hide his aura - or at least, the fact that he doesn’t have one.

“I mean, I have a few ‘true’ forms, I guess, as you can call it. A human one, a cat one, and a monster one,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae’s interest is piqued. “What makes a true form different from just any form?”

Juyeon hums, as he contemplates the question. “Well, for starters, shifting takes up energy - if I were to have a ‘full’ energy bar, lets say, and I wanted to shift into a crow, it would drain a little bit of my energy as time goes on, though I could probably spend a few days as a bird and not worry about turning back or running out of energy. If I wanted to shift into a different person, I could probably hold that form for maybe six hours? But if I turned into, lets say, a _dragon_ ,”

Juyeon is shaking his head at that point. “Maximum? Maybe an hour, at _most_ ,”

Hyunjae is nodding, jotting this all down - it is pretty fascinating learning about a species that he’s never met before. “With my true forms, it doesn’t take up any energy - it’s just existing. Oh, and I can’t change anything about them,” Juyeon comments, and Hyunjae is looking at him. “Is this your human form?”

After getting a nod from the younger, Hyunjae can’t help the way his lip curls. Of course the man is naturally this gorgeous - his skin is practically flawless too, and Hyunjae almost lets out a ‘tsk’ at the fact such a pretty face belongs to such an annoying asshole.

“Alright. That’s good enough,” Hyunjae says, snapping his laptop shut. Juyeon’s eyes widen, as Hyunjae is pulling him off the couch and pushing him towards the door. “Wait! Don’t you have any other questions?

Hyunjae is rolling his eyes as he continues to push him to the doorway. “What, like ‘why do you lie to your friends about being off on vacation when you’re really sneaking into other people’s houses disguised as a cat and watching them change?!'” Hyunjae asks, and Juyeon is sheepishly shaking his head.

“I didn’t mean to that one time! Plus, I do it because I need some time away from people to just explore in my other forms. I don’t use the other two often,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae is scoffing. “Right. Now get out of my house.”

Wait, what about my aura? Don’t you want to know about my aura?” he asks, and Hyunjae stops, before sighing and crossing his arms.

“You don’t have one. Because you’re a shifter, and it’s part of your ability to blend in wherever you go,” Hyunjae guesses, and Juyeon’s eyes are widening, before he smirks once more. “Oh, so you’re cute, powerful _and_ smart,”

The words catch Hyunjae off guard, as he falters. “W-what?”

Juyeon is grinning, as he toes on his shoes. “Cute. I’ll see you later, neighbour - I’ll pick you up outside your apartment at five on Thursday,” Juyeon singsongs, as he makes the move to leave Hyunjae’s apartment.

The witch only has barely gotten his mind back together, to yell, “Hell no!” as Juyeon leaves his apartment, leaving a blushing, pissed witch inside.

 _‘He’s insufferable,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he lets out a scoff out loud. Just who does this Lee Juyeon think he is?

 _‘He practically a child anyways,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he goes to lock his balcony doors, reminding himself to fix that protection spell he put up to not allow _anyone_ but himself through. 

_‘Just one dinner on Thursday. Remember that, Hyunjae. You can manage until then,’_ Hyunjae tells himself, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Juyeon is the type Hyunjae hates - after Thursday, he’ll do everything in his power to stay _away_ from him. (Even though he might be just a _little bit_ attractive.)

* * *

“Hey there, neighbour,” 

It’s been a day since he ‘first’ met ‘Juyeon’, and he’s already bumped into him again. Hyunjae wishes the floor would eat him then and there - he had just thrown on whatever to go get some stuff from the nearest convenience store and _of course_ , he has to run into _him_.

Hyunjae turns to see Juyeon leaning against the shelf, and Hyunjae frowns as he picks up the tuna triangle kimbap, before walking off to look at the drinks. He can hear Juyeon following him, the shifter grinning as he follows the witch, Hyunjae trying to ignore him.

“Doing some grocery shopping?” Juyeon asks, and Hyunjae doesn't respond, only grabbing a banana milk and an iced tea. He really doesn’t have time nor the energy to put up with Juyeon right now.

“What do you want?” Hyunjae finally asks, as he eyes the man who’s continued to follow him around the store. Juyeon doesn’t look remorseful in the slightest, as he practically _beams_ at Hyunjae.

“Just happened to see you while passing. Can I call you hyung?” Juyeon asks and Hyunjae shoots him a look. “No.”

“Aww, come on! You let Changmin call you that,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae isn’t responding as he goes to pick up the bag of chips, placing it in his basket alongside the other junk food he’s decided to buy. “Changmin is the only one,” Hyunjae ends up saying, and Juyeon is cocking his head to the side. “You have to be older than me, though,”

The words (though technically true) has Hyunjae narrowing his eyes at Juyeon, as he goes to the counter to pay. _‘He’s unnecessarily annoying,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself as he watches the cashier scan his items. Juyeon is hovering nearby, and Hyunjae wants to groan out loud - he’s going to follow him until he gets what he wants, isn’t he?

After paying and leaving, he doesn’t wait for Juyeon, the shifter right on his heels. Hyunjae huffs as he sits down at one of the tables outside the convenience store and takes out the triangle kimbap and banana milk, glaring at Juyeon as he takes the seat across from him.

“You want to call me hyung that badly?” Hyunjae asks, after chewing his first bite of what’ll probably be his lunch. Juyeon is smiling and nodding, an action that Hyunjae almost (definitely) finds cute. The witch huffs, as he takes a sip of his milk. “Fine. Whatever, knock yourself out,” Hyunjae relents, and Juyeon is brightening up considerably. “Alrighty, Hyunjae _hyung_ ,”

(Hyunjae would never admit how much he liked hearing those words roll off the shifter’s tongue.)

“Is that all?” He asks, and Juyeon is shaking his head. “Nope! I was wondering if you wanted to go to Changmin and Younghoon’s place together,” he says and Hyunjae immediately says, “No.”

“Think about it for a second, would’ya?” Juyeon responds, and Hyunjae is sighing. “I...have stuff to do before. Places and people to visit,” Hyunjae lies. Juyeon is shrugging. “I don’t mind coming with you,”

Hyunjae gives him a look, one that Juyeon only smiles at, with that infuriatingly charming grin, and Hyunjae wants to smack him over the head (and kiss him at the same time.) “Thanks, but no thanks,” Hyunjae responds, going back to eating his kimbap.

Neither get to say anything else because they’re interrupted by three passerbys. “Hey Juyeon!”

Hyunjae glances up to see a pink haired pixie, wings tucked neatly behind his back as he trails behind a brown-haired man who’s obviously a werewolf - Hyunjae could tell from miles away. A dokkaebi is with them as well, being the one who called out to Juyeon, a smile on his lips as he does so.

 _‘A nat dokkaebi, to be precise,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, his dictionary-like knowledge of supernatural species reminding him how those dokkaebi’s are notorious for trying to sell their products to anyone and everyone - including humans.

“Ah, Haknyeon-ah! I thought you were still in Jeju,” Juyeon says to the dokkaebi, and Haknyeon shrugs. “Business was good, and I came back once I sold out - say, who’s your friend here?”

Hyunjae bites back the childish urge to yell, “We’re not friends,” and instead settles for, “I’m Hyunjae. Moved here recently. Juyeon is...my neighbour,” he says, and Haknyeon doesn’t seem to care as he’s smiling, and leaning in to say, “Lemme guess, you’re a vampire?”

Hyunjae raises an eyebrow, and shakes his head. “A demon?” Another head shake. “A fairy?”

“You idiot, he doesn’t even have wings,” the pixie says, kicking Haknyeon’s leg. Hyunjae has to bite back at laugh at that, especially when the werewolf scoffs, pulling at one of the pixie’s wings as he says, “What, like your practically invisible ones?”

There’s a puff of pixie dust, as the pink haired man turns into a small, insect sized version of himself, and Hyunjae can hear tiny yelling as he pokes and prods at the werewolf, who’s running away from him. Juyeon laughs good naturedly as he says, “Sunwoo-ah, that’s why you don’t make fun of Chanhee’s wings! You should know this by now!”

“Give me one more guess,” Haknyeon is saying, and Hyunjae is looking at him. He’s about to say no, when Juyeon interrupts, saying, “Hyung is a _witch_ ,” as if it’s obvious. Hyunjae rolls his eyes, knowing Juyeon only knows this after infiltrating his house disguised as a cat for three weeks, but Haknyeon’s speaking again, getting his attention.

“Really? Well, I have some items you might be interested in,” he says, about to pull something out of his jacket, before suddenly, the pixie is popping up beside Haknyeon, appearing full sized and scaring the living daylights out of the dokkaebi.

“He won’t be interested in any of _your_ junk,” he says, before looking at Hyunjae and giving a polite smile. “Choi Chanhee. Pixie, and registered dealer of pixie dust - unlike this slob over here,” Chanhee says, gesturing to Haknyeon with his head. He ignores the dokkaebi’s cries in protest, as the pretty man says, “I have an actual permit to sell pixie dust - homemade,” 

“Pixie dust?” Hyunjae asks and Chanhee is nodding. “Yup! It can make things small, make you float, all of that fun stuff,” Chanhee says, and Hyunjae is in the middle of saying he’s fine, when the werewolf is interrupting their conversation, pulling the pixie away from them. “Come on squirt, let’s go. You and Haknyeon need to stop trying to sell your shit to everyone you meet,” he says, ignoring Chanhee’s cries of, “Kim Sunwoo, unhand me, you freak!”, “I’m your hyung, don’t call me squirt!” and “Just because you’re my boyfriend doesn’t mean I won’t fuck you up later!”

“Sorry ‘bout them, Hyunjae-sshi,” Sunwoo says, bowing. “They’re honestly nuisances,”

An offended, “Hey!” comes from Haknyeon, and a flailing Chanhee is still cursing Sunwoo out, as Juyeon only laughs, saying, “You guys should come over sometime! We haven’t met up in a while,” 

Hyunjae can already tell Juyeon is about to loop him into this impromptu meeting and while Sunwoo, Chanhee and Haknyeon all seem like a fine bunch (very business-oriented, on the pixie and dokkaebi’s side, but overall, nice), he really doesn’t want to spend his day stuck with Juyeon of all people.

Which is why he stands up, and gives a slight bow to the three, saying, “It was nice meeting you all,” before grabbing his plastic bag and walking back to his apartment.

Of course, he can’t even have that because it’s only a few minutes later that he hears Juyeon calling after him, a loud, “Hyung!” making Hyunjae roll his eyes and turn to see Juyeon running after him. “What.” Hyunjae replies, more like a statement than a question.

And that infuriating smile is still on the shifter’s lips as he grins at Hyunjae. “Lemme walk you back,”

The witch isn’t sure if he should be flattered or offended, but he chooses to go for the later, scoffing as he turns and begins walking to the apartment. “I’m perfectly capable of handling myself, thank you very much,”

Juyeon laughs as he follows him, saying, “I know that! But just...just in case something happens. You never know,”

Hyunjae levels him a bored look. “In broad daylight?” Juyeon at least had the decency to look sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck. “I guess? It’s fine I was just going to-“

“Look, Juyeon. I’m perfectly fine going back on my own, I don’t need _you_ of all people to babysit me,” Hyunjae says, words abrupt and not giving the shifter a chance to reply. He feels a bit bad for snapping at him, but Juyeon is persistent and Hyunjae reasons with himself that he has reason to be a bit rude to him, after Juyeon pulled that cat stunt with him.

At least, he would’ve felt bad if it wasn’t for the fact Juyeon was trailing him like a lost kitten.

The entire way home, Hyunjae stops multiple times to look behind him, each time seeing Juyeon trying to pretend he’s not following him. Once, hiding behind a tree, another time pretending to read the menu at a cafe and even jumping into some random people’s conversation in an attempt to make it seem he wasn’t trailing him.

The actions have the witch’s lips quirking up into the smallest of smiles, but he bites them down, as he continues walking to his home.

Even when they both arrive at their floor (Juyeon pushing himself into the corner of the elevator as if that would make him invisible) Hyunjae goes to unlock his door, seeing Juyeon peeking around the corner and watching him out of the corner of his eye.

And for the record, that sigh he let out as he let himself into his apartment was not fond, even if that’s what it sounded like.

* * *

Changmin had asked for Hyunjae to come over by six for dinner. Which is why he’s planning on leaving by five.

It’s not that he _wanted_ to go early, but it was more of trying to avoid Juyeon - the brat’s annoying insistence on wanting to go with Hyunjae made the witch want to avoid him, which is why as soon as he’s done with his interview with Jacob, the imoogi Changmin got him in touch with, he’ll be leaving.

Besides, Changmin assured him that the dinner is just a casual get together, which means that there’s no need to dress up and look special.

Jacob and his boyfriend Kevin, the gumiho, arrive at Hyunjae’s apartment around four - as Changmin said, Kevin is friendlier than most gumiho, or nine-tailed foxes, that he’s met, though he still has that distinct possessiveness about his boyfriend that all fox spirits have over their significant others. Hyunjae knows that’s just how they inherently are, which is why he doesn’t cross lines, nor does he acknowledge Kevin’s piercing stare throughout the entire interview, nor his clinginess to the dragon.

For the most part, Jacob is very pleasant. The imoogi, or snake-dragon shifter is very soft spoken, with his aura in direct contrast to Kevins; while Jacob’s is a soothing blue wave of the ocean, Kevin’s is a blazing orange and yellow fire. They’re so different, and yet, compliment each other so nicely. 

_‘I can see why Kevin is so possessive over his boyfriend,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself while observing them - they seem to be a very nice match, as if they were destined for one another.

It’s at one point when Jacob leaves for the bathroom and Hyunjae and Kevin are left together, does Hyunjae bring up the two’s relationship.

“So how long have you two been a thing?” Hyunjae asks. He knows fox spirits love to talk about themselves, especially their love life (his roommate in Japan was a kitsune - he knows A LOT about dealing with fox spirits of any kind as they’re all very similar in the end) The question, as predicted, has Kevin visibly perking up, his big fox ears atop his head pointing straight up.

“Oh! I would say...probably around seventy years now? I met him back right before the war, but it wasn’t until everything started that I think we realized our true feelings for each other,” Kevin says, one hand playing with his sharp claws on his other. Hyunjae nods, humming to himself. “You two seem very compatible,” Hyunjae observes.

Kevin only smiles, a small laugh leaving him. “Cob is like my other half - I probably wouldn’t be able to function without him,” Kevin admits. “He keeps me out of trouble and alive,” 

Hyunjae lets out a small laugh as a question comes to mind. He wonders if it would be too intrusive to ask if Jacob has Kevin’s fox bead; it’s known to be the source of a gumiho’s knowledge, strength and power, yet as Hyunjae has learned over his years, if a fox was to give it to someone else, it’s also a symbol of true love.

He doesn’t get to decide because Jacob is coming back from the washroom, sitting himself down next to Kevin on the sofa, with the gumiho snuggling right up to him once more, the imoogi unfazed by the fox’s actions.

The interview goes on as usual - Jacob describes how imoogis may become dragons if they pass certain tests, something that Hyunjae already knew a little bit about, but as he listen to the man speak, he notices something emitting from Jacob - the faint light that seems to _glow_ from his chest, right about his heart. It could be a trick of the light, but seeing how comfortable Kevin is with him, how the two are so close, how Kevin speaks of Jacob like they’re _soulmates_ \- Hyunjae knows that it’s the fox bead.

Something akin to both warmth and jealousy spreads through the witch. On one hand, he finds it adorable that the couple is so close, being practically the equivalent of being married at this point - but at the same time, Hyunjae is bitter that he’ll never be able to experience something like that.

Relationships, especially romantic ones, will never be something Hyunjae will be able to experience. In his centuries of being alive, he knows that it’s incredibly rare to find a supernatural who will actually care enough to become lovers with another supernatural - most who live long enough to match Hyunjae’s lifespan are insane in this search for power, whilst others live for only a fraction of his life. He could never put himself through the pain of _caring_ for someone who he knows will eventually leave him for the rest of eternity.

Which is why Hyunjae knows it’s silly of him to be jealous of something he’ll never have anyways. And so he swallows any feelings of envy, want or bitterness towards this precious relationship the imoogi and gumiho have, instead smiling through whatever pangs of pain pierce his heart.

“Thank you, Jacob. This has been very helpful,” Hyunjae says, as he finishes up the interview, typing a few last things onto his computer. Jacob only smiles politely, as he says, “No problem!” and Hyunjae returns the gesture, being looking over to Kevin, ensuring to keep his expression polite and friendly. “And thank you, Kevin, for being so patient and letting me borrow a little bit of both of your time,”

Kevin seems pleased at the acknowledgement, as he smiles as well, while the two stand up. “I like you, Hyunjae-sshi. This was nice - maybe we should do something like this again,” the fox spirit says.

Hyunjae, not expecting this, blinks in surprise. “O-oh! Thank you, uh, yeah! That sounds great,” he says, walking them to the door. Kevin seems amused at the fact he was able to surprise the witch, as Jacob says, “There’s actually going to be a town gala at the end of this month - it’s nothing special, but by invitation only - both me and Kev got invited and we can pass you an invite as well,” Jacob says, making Hyunjae’s eyes widen.

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that-”

Kevin is waving him off, as he puts his shoes on. “No biggie. Just bring a date! Maybe the cute shifter next door,” he says, with a wink, making Hyunjae choke on his spit. 

The witch is coughing as Kevin cackles obnoxiously, the imoogi nudging his boyfriend slightly with a small smile on his own lips, as Hyunjae looks at them, face red and ears burning. “I-I’ll think about it,” he manages to wheeze out, as the two leave his apartment.

It takes Hyunjae longer than he’s like to admit to get his ears to stop burning with what he convinces himself is shame at the thought of being seen at a gala with someone like Juyeon - though the moment he lets himself even imagine them at such an event, their arms linked and Juyeon looking as annoyingly handsome as ever, hair slicked back, in a suit and smiling that ~~charming~~ _annoying_ smile - okay, _maybe_ his heart _might’ve_ fluttered just a little bit. 

_‘He’s not that bad of a guy,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself as he goes to grab the Chilsung Cider he had told Younghoon and Changmin he’d bring over. _‘Maybe I might’ve judged him a bit too harshly,’_

Hyunjae’s mind is awhirl as he drives to his friend’s apartment, Kevin’s words getting him to seriously reconsider what type of relationship he has with Juyeon - the shifter seems to be intent in getting to know Hyunjae better, and despite all of Hyunjae’s best efforts to get him to fuck off, he’s not deterred in the slightest.

 _‘The fact that he’s not retaliated even when I’m being plain out rude to him is admirable,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he hears the new supernatural programmed GPS beeping, and glances up to see he’s arrived at Younghoon and Changmin’s apartment already. 

Hyunjae’s decided. Today, when he sees Juyeon, he’ll apologize for being an ass. And maybe they could start to at least be good neighbours to one another, at the very least.

* * *

That decision is instantly thrown out the window when he walks into the apartment, Younghoon ushering him in with an excited, “Juyeonnie is already here!”

Hyunjae is confused as to why the shifter is already at Changmin and Younghoon’s place when he’s not even five yet and the dinner is scheduled to start at six, but he walks in to the smell of delicious food wafering through the house.

His feet are bringing him to the dining room, his eyes widening comically large when he sees the pure amount of _food_ sitting on the dining table. Dishes ranging from traditional Korean ones such as what looks to be homemade _soondaeguk_ and multiple side dishes such as acorn jelly and pickled radish are laid out alongside foreign ones, such as the bowl of carbonara pasta and a plate with takoyaki lining it. His mouth waters at the mere sight and smell of the food, before he even notices Juyeon standing there.

And Hyunjae can feel the blood rushing to his face. Juyeon’s looking at him, that inquisitive cat-like look in his mismatched eyes as he stares at Hyunjae, looking ever so _handsome_ as always. But with the way he’s got his hair styled in a boyishly handsome way, the first two buttons of his dark blue silk dress shirt popped open and his long legs poured into leather tights that adhere to him like a second skin - Hyunjae is _this_ close to passing out. 

“Hyung! Look at all of this, Juyeon decided to add to our dinner!” Changmin says, and Juyeon smiles at both of them, pulling out a bottle of expensive looking wine and placing it on the table. “Heh, I haven’t had a chance to cook in a while and thought it would be nice to add to the dinner table,” he says, acting like he hasn’t made enough food for a whole separate dinner alone. And Hyunjae instantly hates him for it.

Because here Juyeon is, looking devilishly handsome and being the epitome of _kind_ and _caring_ and everything else _good_ in the world, bringing over all this food that he prepared himself while Hyunjae is showing up in whatever he tossed on today that was decent looking and with a bottle of soda he bought from the convenience store.

He lamely holds up the litre size bottle, saying, “I bought the cider like you asked,” to Younghoon, eyes darting back and forth between Juyeon’s 1988 Bordeaux white wine and his own bottle of soda. He feels pathetic.

“Ah, thanks!” Younghoon, to his credit, seems happy enough that Hyunjae did bring the soda despite the obviously superior choice of beverage, and Hyunjae closes his eyes for a moment, feeling an incessant Juyeon sized headache forming. God.

“Hyung?”

The word shakes Hyunjae out of his trance. _‘Speak of the devil,’_

He looks over to see Juyeon staring at his, head cocked to one side much like Midnight would do, and fuck, Hyunjae hates him. He hates his annoyingly handsome face, he hates his stupidly big heart, and he hates that adorable way Juyeon looks at him, like a cat in human form. 

_‘That bastard is doing this on purpose,’_ Hyunjae’s mind tells him. _‘He’s doing this all to make me look bad,’_

Hyunjae grits his teeth, jaw clenching as he sits down at the dining table, across from the shifter. “Yes?” he manages to get out, trying not to get up and turn Juyeon into something unsightly, like a frog, or something. (Though it would be a pointless use of energy since Juyeon’s powers literally allows him to do so. Hyunjae bitterly thinks Juyeon would probably even make a handsome frog, the type to charm royalty to kiss him and turn him into a prince.)

“You looks really nice today,”

Hyunjae narrows his eyes at the compliment. The teasing glint in Juyeon’s eye has him pursing his lips - is this brat _mocking_ him?

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” is how he responds, voice cold and unfazed. He hates how Juyeon’s smile only widens, even as Hyunjae goes to pour himself a glass of chilsung cider. At least if no one else will drink what he brought, he can put up his own little form of rebellion, despite the fact that white wine is his favourite.

 _‘I won’t give that dumbass the satisfaction of seeing me enjoy his stupidly good wine,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he takes a gulp of the cider. _‘Apologize my ass, this idiot isn’t even deserving of an apology at all,’_

Hyunjae ignores the way Younghoon talks excitedly with Juyeon, the two discussing something about a famous supernatural celebrity, while Hyunjae is thinking how, _‘Technically, he never apologized for that whole cat thing,’_ frowning to himself at how Juyeon _literally_ took advantage of his hospitality and even saw him _change_ that one time - he’s not overreacting to this, is he?!

 _‘I should’ve listened to Sangyeon - he was right to warn me about Juyeon being a shifter,’_ Hyunjae thinks bitterly, as he takes another gulp of his soda. 

Changmin pokes his head out from the kitchen to call Younghoon over to help him bring out the other dishes, and Hyunjae was a point to avoid eye contact with Juyeon, despite the fact the two are left alone and Juyeon’s piercing gaze is fixated on Hyunjae’s face.

The silence in the air is heavy, and Hyunjae fixes his gaze on the pictures Younghoon and Changmin have up in their home, lips pursed as he does his best to ignore the unnerving way Juyeon’s cat-like stare is boring a hole into his face.

The silence is suffocating, but Hyunjae really isn’t in the mood to put up with Juyeon’s antics - especially after reminding himself of why he’s upset with him in the first place, and he’s about to excuse himself to use the bathroom to escape this awkward silence when Juyeon speaks up.

“Hyung,”

The one word has Hyunjae’s stomach jumping as he turns to glance at the shifter. He bites the inside of his lip as he responds with a quiet, “What?”

Juyeon regards him with a strange look. He’s seen such a look from others, directed at things such as puppies, movies and other people but never at him before. It makes Hyunjae’s stomach do a weird flip which he finds rather unpleasant. 

He almost tells the younger to spit it out, when Juyeon is opening his mouth, saying, “I meant to say this early, but about the whole cat thing, I’m so-”

“And here we are! Lemme just put it down and we can start eating!” Changmin exclaims as he enters the dining room with Younghoon close behind him, the ice fae looking excited as he puts down the plate of _samgyeopsal_ and _hanwoo_ , the smell one that Hyunjae would usually find mouthwatering, yet in the moment he’s only staring at Juyeon, who’s hurriedly getting up to help Changmin with the dishes.

A small sigh leaves his lips as Younghoon sits next to him. The fae must notice something is off, because he looks like he’s about to ask him what’s wrong when Hyunjae is turning to him, saying, “Can you pass me the cider?”

“Try the wine! You really like white wine, don’t you hyung?” Changmin interrupts. The words have Hyunjae stopping halfway, as he glances at Juyeon for a split second before smoothly responding with, “I had some wine yesterday, I’m fine, thank you,”

 _‘Plus, I know no one is going to have any of this stuff anyways. Might as well try and get my money’s worth,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself. Though when a moment later Juyeon is also asking for the soda, Hyunjae tries not to let his surprise (or his delight that he won’t be forcing himself to drink a whole litre of cider) show as he passes him the big bottle.

Dinner commences, as people begin heaping their plates. Younghoon is graciously filling small bowls with the _soondaeguk_ that Juyeon brought, as Hyunjae takes a little bit of everything. He’s really not expecting much when he takes a bite of the pasta, which is why he can’t help but let his eyes widen when the taste of the carbonara hits his tongue.

 _‘It’s almost as if this was made in Italy,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself. He’s not the only one, because Changmin is letting out a big gasp, as Younghoon’s head shoots up to look at Juyeon. The shifter is watching them all, for the first time, with what Hyunjae can tell is nervousness on his features.

“Did you make this?” Younghoon asks, and Changmin is exclaiming, “Oh my god, this is delicious! Where did you learn to cook, Juyeonnie?!”

Juyeon is rubbing the back of his neck, ears red, and shrugging, a sight that Hyunjae finds ~~cute~~ annoying. He’s casting a glance at Hyunjae, the witch ensuring to keep a carefully blank face as he’s mentally freaking out over how _good_ the food tastes.

“Ah, I travelled a lot growing up - I learned to cook in my free time,” Juyeon says, shrugging. Hyunjae mentally scoffs. _‘I’ve travelled way more than this kid has, and yet all I’ve learned is how to eat well,’_ he thinks to himself, going back to taking a sip of the _soondaeguk_. He’s not given time to appreciate the spicy flavour of the soup because Younghoon is saying, “Hey, Hyunjae’s also travelled a lot! He’s been practically everywhere,” 

The words put everyone’s focus on the witch, who’s busy stuffing his face with a particularly large piece of _soondae_. He’s blushing furiously as he forces himself to chew and swallow, coughing slightly before saying, “Yeah, I’ve been to places, I guess,” 

Despite the lame answer, a glance over at the shifter has Hyunjae pausing - Juyeon is staring at him with what Hyunjae can only describe as stars in his eyes, the shifter’s entire attention solely on him. “Really? That’s really cool,” he exclaims, and Hyunjae is shrugging. “Yeah, I guess. It was more out of necessity than anything else, though,” he says, brushing it off. He’s never thought of his extensive travelling as anything extraordinary - he did it because he needed to to avoid being found out, but with the way Juyeon is staring at him like he found the cure to cancer, Hyunjae can’t help but feel _slightly_ proud. Just a bit.

“Hawaii is really nice. I recommend going there, for your next trip,” Hyunjae finds himself saying. Juyeon seems to be eagerly listening, and Hyunjae is also saying, “Unless you really like the sun, I wouldn’t recommend going there during the summer, though,” he adds on, before putting a piece of meat into his mouth.

 _‘Idiot, of course everyone knows that there’s a shit ton of sun in the summer. You couldn’t have thought of something better to say?’_ Hyunjae scolds himself mentally. Luckily, no one comments on his (very) lame advice, as Juyeon instead says, “I’ve only been to Japan, Italy and Mexico - I really want to go to more places in the future,” 

“Speaking of places, did you guys hear about the gala this year? I got our invites in the mail today,” Changmin says, and Juyeon nods. “Same here - Eric got me on the list the year before,” Juyeon comments. Hyunjae looks up at this, taking a sip of his cider. _‘This must be the gala that Kevin mentioned,’_

“Hey hyung, you should come too! I can get you an invite-”

“I’m fine. Someone has already asked me to go,” Hyunjae says, waving Juyeon off. It’s not until the words are out of his mouth, does he realize what that sounds like. He’s about to clear up the fact that Kevin is only inviting him, when he sees the expression on Juyeon’s face - for some reason the shifter looks... disappointed.

Having only seen Juyeon be oh-so-bright and _happy_ all the time, this catches Hyunjae off guard - he’s never seen Juyeon look like this, not even when he was acting like a kicked puppy (or perhaps a kicked _kitten_ would be more appropriate) when following Hyunjae home. It makes the witch pause, as Younghoon speaks, snatching away the chance for Hyunjae to say anything.

“I think it’ll be fun for you especially, Hyunjae! There’s tons of people, as well as a lot of other supernaturals from other parts of Korea - it could be super helpful for your book,” Younghoon says, chatting happily about this gala and how it’s supposed to “bring together the community” or something or other.

Either way, Hyunjae tunes out his mindless chatter, as he continues eating. He notices Juyeon is distinctly less talkative, that shine in his eyes seemingly gone and mischievous grin no longer present. It makes the witch feel… bad, for some reason.

 _‘Why do I care how he feels? He’s probably upset he didn’t get to hear me beg for him to invite me to the gala,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, sipping the glass of wine that Changmin poured for him. (It’s disgustingly delicious)

Either way, being around Juyeon who’s being so mopey for no reason makes him feel a bit on edge for some reason, which is why as he’s helping Changmin carry the plates of leftovers to the kitchen he says, “I’m going to head out now. I have a lot of notes to sort through since I met with Kevin and Jacob today.”

He feels bad for lying, especially since Changmin is so understanding - though his head is pounding and there's this feeling of unease in his gut, which is why he just wants to get home and curl up into a small ball and just sleep his worries away.

“Oh! Leaving already?” Younghoon asks, when he sees Hyunjae putting his coat on. He gives him an awkward smile, as he nods, saying, “I have some notes and stuff to sort through. I finall interviewed Jacob today,”

He tries not to think of how his notes are all cleanly labelled and neatly sorted on the document that he has already in his files in alphabetical order.

Younghoon seems to buy it, as he says, “Wait one second! Let me walk you down,” as the fae goes to get his coat. Hyunjae obeys, toeing his shoes on, before he straightens up, almost jumping out of his skin when he comes face to face with Juyeon.

The jump reminds him all too much of the way that phone call scared the shit out of him when he was with Midn- when he was with _Juyeon_ , on that couch a few weeks ago. If the amused look in Juyeon’s eyes is anything to go by, the shifter remembers that too.

“What’re you doing here?” Hyunjae asks and Juyeon simply slips his shoes on as well. “Let me see you out too, hyung.”

“It’s fine, Younghoon is coming,” Hyunjae says, but Juyeon doesn’t reply. It’s almost unnerving, how the shifter doesn’t have some cheeky comeback followed by a mischievous grin, and Hyunjae can only bite the inside of his mouth as he stands awkwardly in the doorway with Juyeon.

“Okay let’s go! Oh, Juyeonnie, are you coming too?” Younghoon asks and Juyeon nods. “Felt like going for a little walk after all of that food,” the shifter says, and Younghoon isn’t questioning it as they leave the apartment.

While Younghoon is chatting easily about everything and anything, Hyunaje still can’t take his mind off Juyeon completely, even when he’s engaging in the conversation Younghoon is making as they wait in the elevator. Juyeon seems lost in thought, though Hyunjae does catch the shifter staring at him not so subtly multiple times.

When they exit the building, Hyunjae’s face scrunches up when he realizes that it’s pouring outside. Flipping his hood up, he looks at the two men, giving a small smile. “Well, I should get going. You two better go back in,” he says, and Younghoon is beaming at him, before pulling the witch into a hug. The unexpected action makes Hyunjae’s eyes widen, never being used to physical affection, even from a friend, as Younghoon says, “Thank you for coming! We should do this again!”

“Haha, yeah, that sounds like fun,” Hyunjae says, eyes sliding over to Juyeon briefly. The shifter is looking at him, a tight looking smile on his lips.

Hyunjae doesn’t know what to say, and instead only pulls away from Younghoon, and gives Juyeon an awkward nod, before running to his car. Thankfully, he isn’t parked far from the entrance, and he’s sliding into the vehicle before sliding his keys into the ignition. 

However, when he tries to turn his car on, instead of the soft rumble, there’s a strange wheezing noise that his car makes, making the witch frown. “Fuck,” Hyunjae mumbles to himself, before trying again - his car had been having a few problems, and he was going to go looking to get a new one next week, but he hadn’t expected it to die on him anytime soon.

“Come on, come on,” Hyunjae says, twisting the keys a few more times, but the car evidently, gives up on him, only letting out a weak wheezing noise. Hyunjae’s eyes slide shut as he lets his head fall back. He could use his magic to teleport him home, but he doesn’t have any of the crystals or potions to allow him to do so, which is why he’s dreading having to take the public transportation in this downpour.

He’s reaching over to grab his umbrella, frowning when he realizes it is a small, ratty one that’s barely holding together, when he hears a knock on his window.

And he turns to see Juyeon, the shifter drenched by the rain, which has Hyunjae’s eyes widening as he opens his door to look at him.

“Hey hyung,” he says, voice soft even in the roaring downpour. Hyunjae is speechless, as the shifter offers him a small smile, this one nothing like all the grins that he’s used to. “Let me drive you home,”

“I-it’s fine, I can walk-”

“Will you just let me do something nice for you for once? Please,” the words are almost _desperate_ , and Hyunjae can’t find it in him to refuse. The shifter’s eyes are earnest, and Hyunjae is half concerned he might drop to his knees and _beg_ in the rain if he says otherwise, which is why he only mumbles, “Let me call for a tow-truck first,”

“Younghoonie hyung said he’d do that,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae is pausing, as he looks to the younger. Juyeon’s hair is sticking to his face, and his clothes are all wet, which is why Hyunjae finds himself swallowing, before nodding. He steps out of the car, locking the door behind him and using the small umbrella to try and at least keep them both somewhat dry despite Juyeon’s soaked state, before allowing him to usher him over to his car.

The vehicle is smaller than Hyunjae is used to, but he doesn’t complain as he tucks himself neatly inside, wet umbrella by his feet. Juyeon doesn’t even flinch as he sits down on the leather seats, soaked to the core.

Thankfully, his engine is cooperating, and he’s pulling out of the apartment’s parking lot with ease as he begins driving them home.

Hyunjae had expected some kind of banter between them - or at least Juyeon’s mindless chatter that the shifter seemed so adept at. But there’s just a heavy silence in the air, one that has Hyunjae gnawing on his bottom lip anxiously. It’s only been five minutes since they’ve left the parking lot, but it feels like an _eternity_ to the witch.

Finally, Hyunjae finds himself blurting out, “About the gala,” at the same time Juyeon says, “I’m sorry,” the two pausing to look at each other.

“Oh, um, you were saying?” Hyunjae finds himself saying, feeling embarrassed he cut Juyeon off. The shifter’s own ears are red as he shakes his head, saying, “No, I, uh. I just wanted to say… sorry. For the whole cat thing. I… I know that you must feel like I violated your privacy, and I honestly didn’t expect to stick around for that long but… I dunno, I just kind of felt… _compelled_ to? I know that’s no excuse for tricking you like that, but,” Juyeon pauses, letting out a sigh. “I just wanted to say _sorry_.”

The apology has Hyunjae stunned into silence. He hadn’t expected _this_ when he came to dinner today, though it would be a lie to say he isn’t touched.

“O-oh. Um. Well, I think I’ve also been unfairly giving you a hard time too, Juyeon,” Hyunjae says, not looking at the shifter. “And… while I was kind of pissed at first, I can tell you didn’t have any nefarious intentions so… I guess it’s okay,” the witch says, not good at accepting apologies.

He clears his throat, before looking at Juyeon once more. “Um. But I just wanted to tell you that… Kevin is the one who invited me to the gala. I…” Hyunjae trails off, suddenly feeling stupid. Who was he to assume that this is the reason why Juyeon was acting all sulky?

“Sorry, this is stupid, ignore me, I just thought…” he trails off as he looks at Juyeon once more, and is surprised to see what looks to be _relief_ on the shifter’s face.

“Oh?” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae is nodding as he watches a slow grin come to Juyeon’s lips. One that he’s grown so familiar with. “Huh. So you don’t have a date to the gala?”

Hyunjae frowns. “I don’t see how that’s relevant to anything,” he says, and Juyeon is humming. “It’s a yes or no question, hyung. Just curious,” he says, voice taking on that easygoing tone. For some reason, Hyunjae feels so much more relieved to see Juyeon acting as he usually does - annoyingly laid back, though he huffs as he says, “Brat. Fine, no, I don’t have a date to the gala,”

Juyeon is humming, before saying, “Such a shame. You looked really beautiful tonight, I’m sure you’d look stunning at the gala,” he says, the words making Hyunjae’s ears turn red. “S-shut up. You don’t have to make fun of me for looking like shit,” he says, refusing to look at the obvious effort that went into Juyeon’s elegant outfit.

Suddenly, there’s a hand around his wrist. Hyunjae pauses before turning to see Juyeon staring at him with earnest in his eyes. “I’m not. I mean it - you look gorgeous, hyung,”

The sudden complement has Hyunjae freezing as he stares at Juyeon. Those mismatched eyes are so _enchanting_ , capturing Hyunjae’s attention as he stares into the emotions stored within them, before he suddenly pulls away, averting his eyes. “Are we almost there?”

He refuses to look at Juyeon as the shifter chuckles, before saying, “Yeah, we are,”

The rest of the way, he doesn’t glance in Juyeon’s direction. His face is red, and he doesn’t look at the shifter even as they ride the elevator in silence up to their floor.

It’s as Hyunjae is keying in the code to his door does Juyeon speak once more, only a few feet away from him at his own door. “Hyung,”

Hyunjae looks up, and his heart stops. In the dim lighting of the hallway, Juyeon looks...enchanting. Even with his silk shirt stuck to his form, hair pushed back from his face in a devastatingly sexy way, and that ever present cheeky grin on his face, eyes soft and big hands on the door handle to his own room, he makes Hyunjae’s stomach do a weird flip flop.

“I’ll see you around, hyung. Don’t sleep too late, okay?” The words are spoken with such _gentleness_ , that Hyunjae can feel his face heating up once more. He looks away from the shifter, as he opens his door, ears burning.

“...Don’t tell me what to do, you brat,” He responds, and he can hear Juyeon chuckling.

“Goodnight to you too, Hyunjae hyung.”

That night, Hyunjae definitely doesn’t lie awake in his bed, eyes wide and mind replaying Juyeon’s deep chuckle or the feeling of the shifter’s hand on his wrist.

Little does he know, only one room away, a certain black-haired shifter lies in his own bed, wide awake as he smiles broadly at the ceiling, mind full of a certain powerful, blonde haired witch.

* * *

In the days following, Hyunjae seems to be constantly running into Juyeon. Be it at the grocery store, going to get the mail or even when he’s in his own home - the shifter always happens to be there, with a sly grin and a sing-songy, “Hyung~” whenever he sees him.

And for all the eye rolling and huffing Hyunjae does, he is glad to see that Juyeon is back to his regular, annoying self. It’s at one point that he almost regrets what he did, with the way Juyeon seems even _more_ insistent on being annoyingly clingy and following Hyunjae places once he’s caught sight of him, but the thought of Juyeon being like a sad little kicked kitten makes him change his mind. He can deal with obnoxious following and chatting, but the pathetic kitten act is one he would never like to encounter again.

Which is why even though Hyunjae sighs and acts all annoyed when Juyeon spots him at the grocery store, the shifter bouncing over while saying, “Hyung~! It’s like we’re destined to meet, or something!” he finds he doesn’t mind it as much as before. It’s...dare he say it, even a bit… _endearing._

It doesn’t help that Juyeon has also taken to intruding on Hyunjae’s personal time in his own apartment as well. The first time scared him shitless - he was taking a break from potion brewing (he was stocking up on teleportation ones just in case he has another car incident - also he had some orders from some friends of friends - he had agreed to trade a few for some of Chanhee’s pixie dust.) and came into his kitchen to grab some water. He had turned around to see Juyeon standing on his balcony waving, the unexpected sight of the shifter making him spill water all over himself.

“What the fuck?!” Hyunjae had yelled and Juyeon, trying not to laugh, said, “Sorry hyung! Can I come in?”

“Why the hell can’t you use the front door like a NORMAL PERSON?!” Hyunjae asks, as he uses his magic to unlock the balcony door and allow for Juyeon to pass through the barrier, the witch running to get a roll of paper towel.

The shifter had only grinned at him cheekily as he entered Hyunjae's apartment, and came over to watch him clean up the water he spilled.

“What do you want?” Hyunjae asks, frowning up at him. Juyeon then explained how his own stove was broken and he couldn’t get someone to fix it until next week and asked if he could use Hyunjae’s kitchen to make some meals. The witch sighed, before relenting, knowing how stubborn Juyeon could be, only under the condition he cleans up after himself.

Which is why sometimes Juyeon is randomly in Hyunjae’s apartment, cooking and quietly leaving afterwards, but always leaving leftovers in Hyunjae’s fridge.

 _‘Whatever, that’s his fault for leaving them behind. If he’s not going to be responsible and take what he made with him, I’m going to eat them,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he heats up the homemade _doenjang jjigae_ in his microwave, idly scrolling through his phone.

 _‘It’s not like I particularly_ like _his food. It’s just that it’ll go to waste if I don’t eat it,’_ Hyunjae had told himself the first time Juyeon made some _gamjatang_ , leaving behind almost an entire pot full of it. It was ~~delicious~~ edible, at least.

Later that week, Hyunjae decided to pay the same bar where Sangyeon worked a visit. It was slightly busier this time, but still, little to no customers. He noticed how the ghost seemed to recognize him when he walked in, Hyunjae giving him a slight smile as he ordered a glass of wine.

“What brings you around here?” Sangyeon asks, and Hyunjae only hums while sniffing his wine. “I was just wondering about this ‘gala’ that everyone is talking about. I was invited and just wanted to know what it’s about,” Hyunjae says and Sangyeon nods, leaning against the bar as he talks.

“It started as a project to bring the community together - a fancy little get together by some of the elite members of the TBZ community to talk and catch up. But it soon evolved into a much bigger event, as invitations were given to those who no longer lived in the community - all invitations were by word of mouth, though, as friends invited friends, and you can imagine many of the elite had many friends in same social class as themselves,” Sangyeon explains, waving his hand. 

“So it’s a celebration of wealth and influence, basically,” Hyunjae says and Sangyeon shrugs. “In some ways, yes. For others, it’s a way to make connections and meet people, since many powerful and strange individuals do happen to show up. Of course, some come just for the free food and to have a good time - I do know that some like to peddle their wares too,” Sangyeon says and Hyunjae nods. He heard Chanhee talking about producing more pixie dust than usual in anticipation of the gala.

“It’s a simple suit and tie event. Nothing too fancy,” Sangyeon says, and Hyunjae is nodding as he digests the information. Sangyeon does really seem to know everything, which is why Hyunjae is glad he came here to ask, rather than relying on Younghoon or Changmin to explain. Which is why before leaving, Hyunjae tips him handsomely, a thanks for both the information and to stay on his good side - having a knowledgeable bartender who’s been around for as long as Sangyeon on your good side can only spell good news for you.

As he leaves the bar, he makes a stop at the gym he had been eyeing lately. While he wasn’t particularly out of shape, per say, Hyunjae has been meaning to get back to working out - he finds it’s a good way to keep his mind clear and body relaxed, which is especially helpful when it comes to crafting very delicate spells that require a lot of concentration. Plus, with all the homemade meals that Juyeon’s been leaving for Hyunjae to eat, he might need to burn off some of those extra calories.

He’s entering the building, taking in the sleek interior. There’s a blonde haired demon boy sitting behind the counter at the front, smiling brightly at him as Hyunjae approaches. 

“Hi there! Are you new in town? I’m Eric! Are you looking to sign up for a membership?”

Eric is bubbly and chirpy, a trait that isn’t usually found in demons. If it wasn’t for his aura and the visible horns poking out from his hair, Hyunjae would’ve thought he was a fairy, or something.

“Uh, yeah,” Hyunjae responds, and Eric is smiling as he grabs a clipboard from behind the desk. “Just fill this out and we can get you started!”

Hyunjae nods, giving the demon a small smile as he sits down at one of the benches to fill out his form. He’s almost done with the sheet, when he hears familiar laughter, and looks up.

And Hyunjae almost lights the paper on fire as soon as he sees him.

Of course Juyeon works out here. Of course Juyeon is here today, of all days. And of course he’s looking sinfully good in that tight tank top that shows off his broad shoulder and tiny waist, sweating dripping down his neck and hair sticking to his face.

Hyunjae almost considers running away and looking for another gym, if it wasn’t for Eric swiping the paper out of Hyunjae’s hands once he sees that he’s done.

“Alrighty then! I’ll sign you up for the new member standard set - your first month is free! I hope to see you around more often, Hyunjae-sshi!” Eric says as he’s typing away at the computer in front of his, smiling brightly. Hyunjae visibly cringes when Eric says his name loudly, because he can _feel_ the weight of Juyeon’s gaze on him.

“Thanks,” Hyunjae says, turning around and heading for the door. He pretends he doesn’t hear Juyeon calling out his usual, “Hyung!” as Hyunjae is heading for his new car, speed walking.

But of course, as fate would have it, Juyeon is able to catch up to him, grabbing ahold of Hyunjae’s wrist before the witch can make it into the safety of his car.

“O-oh, Juyeon,” Hyunjae pretends to be surprised to see him, turning to look at the shifter. Juyeon is giving him that crooked smile, as he says, “Are you going to be coming to this gym now? We can be gym buddies! We should come together,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae is frowning. “Uh, no, thanks, but no thanks,” The witch says, and Juyeon is undeterred. “It’ll be fun! We can spot each other and carpool and everything~”

Hyunjae is rolling his eyes, as he says, “I’m fine. Find someone else to be ‘gym buddies’ with,” but as usual, Juyeon doesn’t take no for an answer. “I usually come here in the evenings - I can pick you up tomorrow around eight if you want?”

The witch is shaking his head. “Oh, no, I’ll probably come tomorrow morning,” Hyunjae says, despite also being the type to work out in the evenings. Juyeon looks like he’s about to offer to come with Hyunjae in the morning as well, but Hyunjae is checking his imaginary watch as he says, “Well look at the time, I have to go, bye!” and all but running into his car.

He quickly pulls out of the parking lot as fast as his body will let him, before Juyeon decides to stand in front of him to block him from leaving until Hyunjae will agree to be gym buddies (this had happened when Hyunjae refused to join Juyeon for breakfast that one morning - this shifter is really such a pain when he wants to be).

He doesn’t get to see the fond way Juyeon stares after his car, the gentlest of smiles on his lips.

* * *

Hyunjae hadn’t realized how out of shape he was until he started actively moving.

He didn’t go back to the gym until a few days later - Eric was more than happy to show him around the place, talking excitedly about all the new facilities and classes they offer. Hyunjae finds him thinking to himself how, _‘If it wasn’t for the fact that Eric was a demon, I could see him being related to Juyeon - they’re both so...full of energy,’_ Hyunjae thinks, as Eric chatters nonstop about everything and nothing at the same time.

The witch had taken the time to change, not bothering to store his belongings in the locker and instead having them disappear with a wave of his hands - it’s not that he doesn’t trust the other gym goers, it’s just that. Well, he doesn’t.

He decides to start with the bikes. Easy enough.

He’s only three minutes in when his legs start to ache. Hyunjae is gritting his teeth against the pain as he continues to cycle, fingers gripping the handle bars as his legs are screaming in pain.

By the time he’s getting off the bike, his legs feel like jelly and he wants to go home.

It doesn’t help that as he’s still standing there in pain, he hears laughter and looks up to see Juyeon waltz in, talking with Eric as if they’re good friends, and Hyunjae almost groans out loud. He prays that Juyeon doesn’t see him, as he turns away, but of course, as soon as he’s turning he hears his, “Hyunjae hyung!” making the witch groan to himself. Fuck.

“Oh, Juyeon,” Hyunjae says as the two approach him. Eric is looking at them before saying, “Oh! You know Juyeon hyung?”

Hyunjae nods, biting his lip to hold himself back from saying, “Regretfully,” as he forces a smile. “We’re, uh, neighbours,” he says and Juyeon is giving him a smile. “I’d like to think we were at least _friends_ by this point, hyung,” Juyeon says and Hyunjae purses his lips, choosing not to comment on that.

“Ericie here has been a long time friend of mine - I was one of his first regulars, after all,” Juyeon says, patting Eric’s shoulder. The shorter demon is smiling, and Hyunjae is politely asking, “Oh, you’ve worked here for long, then?”

“His family owns the place,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae’s eyes widen. _‘So the demon boy is a rich demon boy,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, looking at Eric. The younger’s cheeks are tinged red, and Hyunjae is quick to catch on that Eric isn’t the type to flaunt his wealth, which is why Hyunjae quickly schools his features, only nodding as he says, “Cool,”

He hopes the lack of interest in the conversation will let it die out, but Juyeon is incessant in dragging Hyunjae along with them to work out with him, and the witch, not wanting to be impolite to the demon who literally owns the place, has no choice but to oblige.

And he instantly regrets his decision the second Juyeon decides on the bench press.

Juyeon is _easily_ lifting 100lbs, the shifter looking annoyingly hot as he’s doing his reps. Hyunjae is tempted to just leave then and there and do pilates by himself in his apartment, but his jelly-like legs prevent him from running. 

After the shifter is sitting up, he turns to Hyunjae smiling easily as he asks, “How much do you bench, hyung?”

“A-ah, I’m not the type to lift weight,” Hyunjae says, shaking his head, but Juyeon is only saying, “Then you can start today!” as Eric is taking off the weights on either side of the barbell. “Let’s start with something light,” Eric suggests, as Hyunjae is being forced to lie down in position to lift the bar. He already is regretting _all of this_ , even as Eric is only adding 20lbs to the barbell - the metal bar looks heavy by itself.

“How heavy is the bar?” Hyunjae asks, and Eric hums, before saying, “I think around 45lbs?”

The blood drains from Hyunjae’s face. He’s never had very good upper body strength, there’s no way he’s benching 65lbs.

 _‘If this thing goes down, it’s not going back up,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he nervously grips the bar. “C-can one of you spot me?” he asks, and of course, it’s Lee fucking Juyeon taking that position, smiling his signature grin down at Hyunjae. The witch is fuming - _‘This little brat did it on purpose! It’s like dinner with Changmin and Younghoon all over again! He’s making me look bad!’_

Filled with determination to show the shifter wrong, Hyunjae begins to lift the bar. Bad idea. His arms tremble as he brings it down towards his chest, his biceps screaming at him as he lifts the bar. 

_‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, this isn’t happening again, fuck me,’_ Hyunjae is mentally chanting. He manages only three reps before he’s placing the bar back onto the stand, his arms exhausted. His limbs feel like jelly - he really wants to go home now.

“That was pretty good for a newbie!” Juyeon is saying, and Hyunjae is too exhausted to narrow his eyes at him. The shifter definitely knows what he’s doing, and the witch wants nothing more than to kick him for giving him such a patronizing statement.

He was hoping Juyeon and Eric would leave him alone after that but, it’s not the case. He’s forced on the treadmill with Juyeon next, the witch breathing heavily throughout the entire five minute run as Juyeon chats easily with Eric, neither even close to being out of breath.

The same goes for the elliptical, the steps and practically everything else in the gym. Juyeon excels at _all_ of it with ease, going so far as to outdo Hyunjae by ten times, and the witch only grows more and more exhausted and _miserable_ as time goes on.

By the end, Hyunjae makes a mental note _never_ to let himself get roped into this again. Being forced to watch Juyeon look unbelievably ~~_sexy_~~ annoying as he works out, giving Hyunjae those cheeky, nerve-grating grins as he easily curls 50lbs with one arm, his biceps bulging ~~attractively~~ , it only makes Hyunjae’s own self-esteem drop. 

“I had fun today! We should do this more often, hyung!” Juyeon is still so eager to chat as they both go to the locker room. Hyunjae barely has the energy to talk, but he glares at Juyeon, hoping to convey that he’s not in the mood. 

He barely gets home, dragging his tired ass to his apartment before hurriedly showering and collapsing in bed.

Hyunjae wakes up the next day sore _everywhere_.

He returns to the gym in another few days, when the aching in his body has gone down somewhat, this time during the middle of the day, hoping to avoid Juyeon.

And yet, the shifter _still_ manages to run into him, dragging Hyunjae with him to do all the same stupid, awful exercises that he was forced to do last time. 

It continues like this. Hyunjae tries going to the gym on a different day at a different time, and yet Juyeon always seems to show up sometime after him, forcing Hyunjae to workout with him. 

It irks Hyunjae to no end, and he’s got half the mind to quit going to the gym, if it wasn’t for the fact that Eric is really nice, and the next closest gym is a good 30 minute drive away. Juyeon doesn’t seem to get the hint that Hyunjae isn’t interested - not when Hyunjae pretends not to see him, not when Hyunjae tries to sneak out without Juyeon seeing him, and not when he glares at Juyeon throughout the entire routine he’s forced through

If it wasn’t for the sign that says “no magic allowed” plastered to the wall on the gym, he’s pretty sure he would’ve set something (probably Juyeon) on fire by now.

It’s been two weeks since he first walked into the gym. He’s given up on trying to avoid Juyeon, since the shifter seems to follow Hyunjae, no matter how many precautions he takes, no matter how he gets to the gym. Which is why he walks in on a Saturday afternoon, heading to the changing room when he runs into a familiar pixie.

“Oh! Chanhee,” Hyunjae says, bowing his head slightly. The pink-haired man looks frazzled, and Hyunjae’s brows knit in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“You! You’re a witch, right?” Chanhee asks, and Hyunjae barely has a chance to nod before Chanhee is grabbing his wrist. “Come quick - Eric’s been cursed,”

Hyunjae’s barely given a chance to even say anything as Chanhee is running, dragging Hyunjae behind him. The witch stumbles over his own feet to keep up, as he pulls him into the main room of the gym, the entire space oddly devoid of any and all people, especially on a Saturday. Chanhee is dragging Hyunjae over to one corner, where the witch recognizes Sunwoo and Jacob, as well as Juyeon who’s crouching beside a hunched over figure in the corner.

“We sent everyone home, Eric-ah,” Hyunjae hears Sunwoo say, and Hyunjae is peering over, eyes widening when he sees an old man, face wrinkled and body so frail it looks like he might break any moment. Yet it’s clear that it’s Eric, even with all the sunspots and lack of teeth.

“T-thank you,” he can hear the demon wheeze out, and Hyunjae watches as a tear trickles down his cheek. Juyeon is quick to notice this, as he takes one of Eric’s now wrinkled hands in his own, saying, “Don’t worry Eric, we’ll fix this,”

“I found Hyunjae - maybe he can help fix things,” Chanhee says, and the others are all looking over at Hyunjae. The witch is clutching his gym bag, not prepared to do anything regarding magic at the moment, but Juyeon is suddenly springing up, taking one of Hyunjae’s hands in his own.

“Hyung! Can you do something? Please,” the shifter is desperate, the way he clutches Hyunjae’s hand, eyes frantic. It’s an expression the witch hasn’t seen on the usually cocky man, the grip on his hand so tight he feels like his bones may break. Juyeon clearly is ready to beg if he has to, as he whispers out, “Please, Eric is like my little brother, please,”

Hyunjae’s heart constricts at the words. Eric has been nothing but nice to him, and he’s pulling his hand away from the shifter. “Give me some room. I’ll see what I can do,”

An audible sigh of relief is heard, as Jacob, Sunwoo and Chanhee move away, and Juyeon looks like he might pass out from relief. Eric is croaking out a, “Wait,” the sound making Juyeon stop. “Hyung, I’m scared,”

Juyeon is taking Eric’s hand in his own, whispering, “It’ll be okay, Hyunjae hyung will help you, just be patient,” he says. Hyunjae is looking into his bag, before grabbing his car keys.

“Sunwoo! Can you go to my car and get my hat in the trunk! It’s the black Hyundai on the left,” Hyunjae says, tossing his keys to the werewolf. The man catches it easily, nodding as he jogs out the gym. Pulling out his phone, a list of curses he made pulled up on a google doc incase he has trouble diagnosing what Eric has been cursed with, Hyunjae goes over to Eric, giving him a small smile, before taking his hand in his own.

He closes his eyes, reaching out with his senses, feeling. Whoever cursed Eric was not a very powerful witch - a low tier yellowlegs witch, perhaps even relying on a pre-made spell. It shouldn’t be too hard to undo the curse, but it’ll take a lot of energy on his part, which is why he asked Sunwoo to get his hat - removing curses he didn’t place, not matter how simple, usually takes a lot of energy, and the energy crystal he kept sewed onto the hat would give him the boost he needs.

“What happened here?” Hyunjae asks Juyeon, the shifter still beside Eric, holding his other hand. Juyeon sighs, shaking his head. “Eric was just doing his job, and this one _bitch_ was using magic in the main room. Eric tried to get her to stop, telling her multiple times that it’s not allowed, before finally telling her he would have to ask her to leave. She got mad and started chanting something, before pointing at him, and here we are,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae hums.

“Did you see her eyes when she did it?” Hyunjae asks and Juyeon nods. “Why?”

“What did they look like?”

“...Normal. Maybe a bit bloodshot,” Juyeon says and Hyunjae nods. “Okay. This shouldn’t be too hard to remove - it sounds like she used a pre-made curse by another witch, which means that she’s not powerful enough to make her own. If her eyes glowed a certain colour, it would mean bigger trouble for us,” Hyunjae says.

He turns to Eric at this point, smiling softly. “It’ll be fine, just wait for Sunwoo to come back,” The blonde croaks out a small, “T-thank you,” and he can feel the loose grip the demon has on him tighten ever so slightly.

Not even a second later, Sunwoo is jogging back in, holding a pointy witch hat in one hand and his keys in the other. Hyunjae stands up to take the hat from him, place it on his head - it’s a bit tacky, yes, but it’s from the woman who took him in, holding some of her own enchantments as well as his own he's added over time. The wide brim has runes etched into the underside, and multiple enchantments placed on it. He keeps it in his car for emergencies, as well as the fact it has a robust protection spell on it that’ll save him from any accidents he might encounter, but the huge glowing blue crystal nestled at the base of the cone, along with multiple dried flowers and some other stones, all with their own magical properties and tied to the hat with a ribbon made of unicorn hair is what Hyunjae needs today.

“This’ll do,” Hyunjae says, already feeling the extra energy running through his veins. He takes Eric’s hand once more, before glancing at Juyeon, who’s still holding Eric’s other hand, worriedly looking at him.

“You might want to let go of him. Curse breaking isn’t pretty,” Hyunjae says, placing his other hand on Eric’s head. Juyeon is looking at Hyunjae, his beautiful eyes shining with emotion, before sighing, and letting go of Eric’s other hand.

“It’ll only be a moment,” Hyunjae says, before looking at Eric. “Don’t be afraid, this shouldn’t hurt at all,” the witch says, before taking a deep breath, and chanting.

He can feel the magic welling up in him, a warm feeling rising to the surface, like magma bubbling. He closes his eyes, drawing it out from inside, the white hot, pure _energy_ , directing it through his hands, through his fingertips, transferring it to the demon in front of him.

Hyunjae is so focused on removing the curse, magic flowing into Eric almost like a needle undoing the stitches of the other witch’s poorly sewn on curse, before destroying it, and sewing his own restoration spell on him that he doesn’t realize how brightly he’s glowing.

Juyeon is staring at him, mouth ajar, as Hyunjae’s eyes are wide open, glowing a bright, almost white, light blue, his veins lighting up with the same blue-white energy, strange rune-like symbols also showing up on his skin where it was visible - one on his forehead, another on his neck, and some on his arms as well.

By the time Hyunjae is able to sew his own spell back onto Eric, tightly and properly, unlike that other witch, he’s exhausted, and falls back, unable to even keep himself up right anymore. He can feel himself tottering on the brink of unconsciousness for a second, but when he forces himself to open his own eyes, he can see the Eric he’s used to in front of him, tears running down his face as he launches himself at Juyeon, crying.

Hyunjae has fallen onto his butt, hat askew, and feeling completely _exhausted_ , but smiling lightly at the sight. A sigh leaves him, as he closes his eyes for a moment, hearing the others come up to check on Eric as well.

It feels like both an eternity but also only a second when he hears a panicked, “Hyung?!” and Hyunjae is slowly forcing his eyes open. His eyelids feel like lead, and he watches through barely open eyes the way Juyeon physically sags with relief. “You’re okay, thank god,” the shifter breathes out, and Hyunjae gives a weak chuckle.

“‘M fine. Just. Tired,” he manages to get out. His eyes fall closed once more, and he feels a pair of large hands picking him up as if he weighed nothing. He can hear Juyeon say something about bringing him home, before they’re moving. At this point, Hyunjae falls totally unconscious, uncaring to the world.

He sleeps through the tender way Juyeon carries him out of the gym, bridal style, before gently placing him in his car, and fastening the seat belt for him. He doesn’t get to see the soft sigh Juyeon lets out, as he pulls the hat off of Hyunjae’s head gently, eyes so soft and full of fondness on the witch, a small smile on his lips, as he brushes a thumb gently against his cheek. He misses the way Juyeon looks over at him throughout the entire drive back home, eyes concerned, and lips pursed as he navigates them back to his apartment, before parking and unfastening Hyunjae with the same gentleness and care as before.

It’s only when they’re at the front door, does Juyeon jostle Hyunjae carefully, saying, “Hyung, I need your passcode to get you in,” he says, and Hynujae is slurring out, “zero… eight… zero… two…”

Punching in the numbers and then opening the door, he’s oblivious to the way Juyeon carefully brings Hyunjae over to his bed, tucking him into the covers with care, much like that night he got shit-faced drunk and passed out in the living room. He takes Hyunjae’s shoes off for him, socks as well, and puts them in the hamper, before placing the witch hat on his desk, the formerly glowing blue crystal now black.

But before Juyeon leaves, he’s whispering a soft, “Thank you,” into the air, before he hesitates.

Hyunjae thinks he imagines it, but he feels a soft, barely there kiss to his forehead, before he slips back into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.

* * *

In the following days, Hyunjae is glad to see things turned out well.

He wakes up three days later, throat parched, and eyes bleary. He turns to the side to see a glass of water on his bedside table, and is gulping it down greedily. His mouth tastes nasty, and he feels gross, which is why he’s stumbling over to his bathroom immediately to brush his teeth and shower.

Juyeon bursts into his apartment soon after, body sagging in relief when he sees Hyunjae is awake. The witch, however, is mortified, as he’s just about to shower and naked as the day he came into this world, screaming at him to, “Get the fuck out of my house!” and, “Knock at least, next time!”

By the time he’s clean and feeling not as gross, he checks his phone to see multiple messages. There’s at least twenty from Eric, all of them telling him he’s so thankful for what Hyunjae did, as well as a promise of having a free membership at his gym for life. The demon also adds that if Hyunjae ever needs anything, to let him know and he’ll see what he can do about it, which makes Hyunjae smile - Eric really is a good kid.

Sunwoo has also sent him a text, letting him know he brought Hyunjae’s car to the apartment, along with all his things he left behind at the gym. He says that he left the key with Juyeon, though looking over at his bedside table he spots his keys there.

There’s a few well wishes from Jacob, Chanhee and even Younghoon (who tells him that Jacob told him what happened), as well as a handful of texts from Juyeon.

The shifter is thanking him as well, before letting him know he’s been coming and going the past few days to check on him and make sure he’s still breathing, as well as continuing to make use of his kitchen and stock it with meals. Hyunjae is snorting a bit to himself at the goofy sticker Juyeon uses in the chat, a black cat making a big heart with the words, “Feel better!” under it. It reminds Hyunjae of Juyeon’s cat form.

The thought reminds him that he’s never seen that third form Juyeon mentioned; the _monster_ form, as he referred to it as. Curiosity bubbles up in him, but his attention is snatched away by the selca Juyeon sent him yesterday of him pouting and giving the camera big puppy dog eyes, fingers in a heart with the message, “Please be okay, please wake up soon hyung!” attached to the bottom of it.

Hyunjae is unable to hold back the laugh at that one, giggling to himself, as he turns off his phone. It would be a lie to say he doesn’t feel good after all of that.

The witch is getting up to stretch, walking to the kitchen to feed himself. Juyeon was right - his fridge is jam packed with pre-made food, and a hot meal is already laid out for him at the table, making Hyunjae blink in surprise. 

_“I guess Juyeon did this while I showered,’_ he thinks to himself, as he sits down at the table.

He’s scrolling through his phone, eyes lazily going over the news, before his eyes shoot open - it’s already Wednesday - and the gala is this Friday evening and he has _nothing_ to wear. A groan is leaving his lips - he’s going to have to go deep diving into his multi-dimensional closet over the next few days and find something suitable to wear.

* * *

Hyunjae is nervous.

He doesn’t know why, but his palms are sweaty and he’s been unable to sit still the entire day. Over the past few days, there were multiple times that he had thought of perhaps just going over to ask Juyeon if _maybe_ they could go to this gala together; but each time, he stopped himself, not wanting to bother the shifter.

 _‘Besides, I’ll probably just look like chopped liver next to him,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he bites his bottom lip.

So instead he went back to the bar and asked Sangyeon for advice on what to wear - he didn’t really feel like dealing with Younghoon’s pickiness and Changmin’s over enthusiastic reactions to dressing up. He just needed to know to what degree of fancy this gala was.

Sangyeon turned out to be the perfect person to ask, as the ghost hummed before saying, “I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s only semi-formal, but suit and ties aren’t the only thing people wear. I’ve seen some people show up in dress shirts and a pair of dress pants, kind of like business casual. Others come in their official robes, such as vampires wearing their coven’s crests,”

Hyunjae briefly thought of wearing his witch hat, but shook the thought off. He didn’t wanna stand out, especially as witches were so rare and wearing that hat was bound to get him a lot of questions.

Which is why he finally settled with just the run of the mill black suit and tie. There’s nothing wrong with going with the safe option, and decided that would be the best he could do at the last minute.

 _‘Besides, it’s not like I’m trying to impress anyone or anything,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he drives to the gala. For whatever reason, Juyeon’s face floats into mind and he quickly shakes it away - he doesn’t care what that _shifter_ thinks of him - definitely not.

 _‘He’s still an annoying prick,’_ Hyunjae thinks, though he does have to admit - Juyeon has proven to be not _as_ bad as Hyunjae initially thought.

The thought of the shifter’s stunning cat-like eyes, his annoyingly charming smile and even the way he calls out “Hyung!” whenever he saw Hyunjae puts the smallest of smiles on his lips.

The gala venue is at the centre of the town. It’s hard to miss it, as most cars are headed there, and Hyunjae finds himself parking amongst all the others.

A quick glance at his watch tells him he’s a few minutes late, which isn’t the biggest of deals - yet for some reason each step he takes towards the building has anxiety rising within him.

 _‘It’s just a fun little get together,’_ Hyunjae reminds himself, as he approaches the building. His heart doesn’t seem to listen, as it’s thudding painfully in his chest.

 _‘Maybe I should just go home,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself. _‘I don’t need to meet anyone, I’ve never liked people anyways,’_ he thinks to himself, and just as he’s convinced himself to turn around and head back to his apartment, a brightly spoken, “Hyunjae hyung!” draws his attention.

And for some reason, when he looks over and sees it's Changmin waving at him, Younghoon locking the door to their car as he follows, he feels a bit disappointed for some reason. Still, he forces a smile to his face as he sees the couple, trying to downplay his nerves.

“A-ah Changmin-ah,” Hyunjae responds and Changmin smiles at him teasingly. “Nervous?”

Hyunjae only gives him what he hopes is a rueful smile. The vampire looks sharp in his white blouse, this coven’s crest inscribed onto a pendant that hangs from his neck. He’s got a pair of black dress pants, along with a modernized version of a cloak around his shoulders, the dark, velvety fabric going to end just below his waist.

Younghoon, on the other hand, looks completely like an ethereal fae - he’s got this delicate looking sparkly headpiece on, along with an ice blue silk shirt on, white dress pants and a white suit jacket slung over his shoulder.

They both look simply elegant, and Hyunjae starts to regret not asking for their help.

But he doesn’t get to even voice his hesitation, as Changmin is linking his arm with Hyunjae’s and starts dragging him towards the building, Younghoon chatting happily the entire way.

Once they enter the building, Hyunjae’s regret deepens. Everyone looks like they were able to mix a bit of their abilities into their clothes, making for a colourful crowd; Hyunjae’s black and white suit like a dark spot against the otherwise bright canvas.

His worries are slightly eased, though, as he soon realizes what he lacks in physical clothing, he makes up more than enough in aura; people are stopping to look his way as he walks into the room with Younghoon and Changmin, and Hyunjae is relaxing slightly.

 _‘This isn’t too bad,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself. People are just mingling and standing around, talking about topics and snacking on some of the finger food laid out. Soft, classical music is floating through the air, and it really does seem to be quite a relaxed event despite all the hype surrounding it.

 _‘Thankfully Younghoon and Changmin are here,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as Younghoon is pulling them over to go look to see what foods they have out. _‘This would be unbearable if I was alone,’_

“Hey, it’s that Haknyeon over there?” Changmin says, as they wait in line to grab some snacks. Both Younghoon and Hyunjae look over, the witch spotting the dokkaebi with ease - he seems to be in the middle of selling _something_ to what seems to be an ogre, the dokkaebi smiling as he shows off his products. 

“Of _course_ he’d turn this into an opportunity to sell his stuff,” Younghoon mutters, making Hyunjae laugh. He briefly wonders if Chanhee is also trying to run his pixie dust business amidst all of this, but he doesn’t spot the pixie anywhere for the time being.

 _‘Speaking of which,’_ Hyunjae is scanning the crowd, standing on his toes to try and see over the heads of other people - he can’t seem to find Juyeon. The witch is pursing his lips; did the shifter decide not to come? Or is he just ‘fashionably late’? Either way, Hyunjae can’t help but feel a bit _down_ at the fact that he isn’t here.

He tries not to let it show. Instead, he’s people watching as they shuffle closer to the table - he spots Kevin and Jacob easily enough, with the way Kevin isn’t bothering to hide his tails, dressed in red and white flowing robes that almost look like white clothing stained with blood. Jacob, in contrast, is wearing a navy blue suit, with a blue crystal rose pinned to his lapel, a small and elegant crown that looks to be made out of pure _water_ sitting on his head.

Sangyeon is also easy to spot - the ghost talking with some important looking people near the front of the room. Hyunjae thinks he sees Chanhee, a flash of pink hair drawing his attention, and after seeing Sunwoo standing to the side talking to Eric, Hyunjae smiles knowingly - the pixie must be around _somewhere_ , even if Hyunjae can’t actually spot him.

“Ooo! Look at the oysters!” Hyunjae’s attention is drawn back to the table, where Younghoon is grabbing multiple oysters onto his plate. The witch smiles to himself seeing that anything that’s taken from the table is replaced automatically, making Hyunjae nod, impressed. Magicked tables like that are expensive, and hard to come by. Whoever runs this gala must really have good connections, and a lot of influence.

Hyunjae doesn’t feel too hungry, but takes some random appetizers he finds to be somewhat appealing. A mini calamari burger here, a bite-sized steak bite wrapped in bacon there, as well as a glass of champagne, as they leave the queue to stand at the side of the room.

“I heard that this year they’ve invited more people than ever before,” Changmin says, as he nibbles on an d’oeuvre. Younghoon is nodding, chewing as he says, “Same here, apparently they’ve extended invitations to some influential supernaturals in Japan and China as well,” Hyunjae hums looking around the room. While the whole event is pleasant in that he doesn’t feel too out of place nor forced to talk to people he doesn’t know, it’s not exactly enthralling.

 _‘Maybe I’ll just stay for a bit longer and then leave,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, checking his watch. He talks a bit more with Changmin and Younghoon, commenting on things from outfits they like, to the way Chanhee is clinging to Sunwoo like a koala, glaring at anyone who even bothers to look at the werewolf in any way that’s a bit _too_ friendly for his taste. The action makes Hyunjae stifle a laugh - the two fight like cats and dogs, yet are so clearly _in love_ \- the saying opposites attract must really be true.

But then the music changes, and Changmin is lighting up, as he checks his watch, before placing his plate on one of the nearby tables. “Come, Hoonie! Let’s go dance,” he says, and Hyunjae is blinking in surprise. “Dance?”

“Yeah! About an hour in, they open up the dance floor for couples - this is my favourite part, let’s go!”

Hyunjae is watching the way Younghoon follows suit, before looking at Hyunjae. “Ah, Hyunjae, you’ll be okay if I go with Changmin for a quick dance or two, right?” the fae is looking obviously concerned about leaving Hyunjae by himself, but the witch is swallowing his disappointment, smiling. “Don’t let me stop you two from enjoying yourselves,” he says, really meaning it. He should’ve known better than to think he could’ve third wheeled with the couple the entire time.

“Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself,” Hyunjae says, smiling. Younghoon lights up as well, smiling as he says, “We’ll be quick!” before following after the vampire. Hyunjae only watches for a bit, having been left alone with his champagne. He takes a sip, glancing around, suddenly feeling a bit _alone_ , not really feeling in the mood to introduce himself to anyone or force himself to smile any more tonight.

 _‘Would it be too early if I headed out now?’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself, as he slowly walks along the outermost part of the room. He spots Eric, Haknyeon, Sunwoo and Chanhee all talking animatedly near the front of the hall, and he briefly considers going to join them, before shaking his head. _‘Why did I even come here? It’s not like I_ wanted _to meet people,’_

The image of Juyeon’s face flashes in his mind and Hyunjae has to hold back a scoff. _‘So much for that. He’s not even here,’_ he thinks to himself bitterly, a twisted smile on his lips, as he takes another sip of the champagne. There’s no point in lingering her awkwardly, he might as well just finish his glass and go.

“Hyunjae-sshi? Is that you?”

The words have the witch looking over, and his blood instantly goes cold. He should’ve left while he could.

The woman walking towards him is one he instantly recognizes - how could he not, when Ryu Minhwa has been one of the few people, let alone _witches_ who he despised? Her long blonde hair is tied into a bun, her silver iron claws on display. Hyunjae often wondered how she did anything, with those long iron nails not retracted, but with the way she wears a red, skin-tight dress, the cut low enough that Hyunjae can practically see her breasts spilling out, he already has the urge to leave.

It doesn’t help that Minhwa is one of the people who have some sort of vehement dislike for Hyunjae - the ironclaw witch is the type to be sickly sweet to your face, coating her venomous intent with flowery words, her nasty attitude disguised by her ‘innocent’ tone of voice. Hyunjae’s known her for a while - she’s never liked him, supposedly because he’s a blueblood, which makes him ten times more powerful than she could ever be, and because he doesn’t buy her sweet act. Her manipulative ways make his head hurt - it’s clear to him just how _fake_ she is.

“Oh my gosh, it _is_ you!” She exclaims, and Hyunjae is forcing a polite smile. “Minhwa-sshi,” he says, and the witch is smiling wickedly. “What are you doing here? And all alone,” she says the second part with nasty intent, making Hyunjae want to roll his eyes. Instead, he just shrugs, acting as if that obvious jab didn’t exist. “I moved here, recently, and got an invite. I don’t see you with a partner either,” he comments, careful to keep his expression level. Minhwa doesn’t even flinch, waving a hand as if it’s not important.

“My date is off getting us some drinks,” she says, and Hyunjae nods, trying to appear polite. He’s looking for the quickest way to _shut down_ this conversation, but once Minhwa has her claws sunk into something, she won’t give up. “We have so much to catch up on, Hyunjae-sshi, I haven’t seen you in a good hundred years, at least,” she says, and Hyunjae has to bite back that there’s a reason for that - he’s been doing his best to avoid her. However, he just smiles politely, knowing better than to start something with her.

“I’m sorry, but I have some things to attend to,” he says, trying to _leave_ , but Minhwa isn’t having any of that. “Oh whatever it is, it can wait - it’s not like you have a date or anything, come,” Hyunjae has to restrain himself from physically flinching when she reaches for him, the woman not-so-gently taking his arm.

“Maybe next time,” Hyunjae is saying, trying to remove her hands while avoiding her sharp nails, but the other witch is relentless. Her grip is tight, and the fiery look in her eyes is almost _challenging_ him to start a fight. 

_‘She lives for drama like this,’_ Hyunjae thinks to himself. He’s been wise to stay uninvolved in the drama concerning the witches, but knowing that Minhwa comes from a very influential and wealthy family of ironclaw witches, he knows this is one of her ploys to get him to make the first move so she can have a reason bring him down. After all, bluebloods have been the enemy of the ironclaws for the longest time in their hunt for power.

Hyunjae is weighing his options - he can attempt to talk his way out of this, which doesn’t seem like it’ll be very effective, he can do his best to physically remove her from him and run (which doesn’t seem like it’ll be easy, not with the way her claws are _this_ close to digging into his suit) or he can go with her and suck it up for the evening.

It’s starting to look like he won’t have any choice but the latter, when suddenly he hears it.

“Hyung! I was waiting for you to meet me outside,”

Both him and Minhwa turn to see the man approaching them, and Hyunjae has never been so happy to see Juyeon in his entire life. But his attention is drawn from the fact that he showed up to the sight of what he’s wearing, eyes widening, and mouth parting slightly.

It’s a _hanbok_ , yet not one of the modern day ones. Much more like what Sangyeon is seen wearing, it’s an ankle length piece of clothing, the fine silk a bright red that’s cinched at the waist to show off Juyeon’s wonderful proportions. He’s only wearing the outer _jeogori_ , which is left slightly open for all to see the white silky dress shirt and form fitting dress pants he’s wearing on the inside.

But Hyunjae’s attention is drawn to the shifter’s eye makeup, the golds and red and oranges that are blended together and decorating Juyeon’s eyelids have his heart stuttering at how _beautiful_ he looks, especially with the way his one blue eye seems to stand out like a pool of water against the fire of his eyeshadow.

“Who’s this?” Minhwa is asking, annoyance clear in her voice. Hyunjae takes the opportunity to yank himself from her grip, going over to stand next to Juyeon. “I told you I had things to attend to,” he says, and he’s pleasantly surprised when Juyeon is wrapping an arm around Hyunjae’s waist, pulling him close. He does his best not to let the surprise show on his face, however, as it’s obvious to get her to go away, they’ll need to play this act.

Whatever ‘this act’ they’re doing is.

“You don’t have an aura,” Minhwa is saying, eyes narrowing at Juyeon. The shifter isn’t affected in the slightest, as he simply replies with, “I’m a shifter. We don’t have those,” before looking at Hyunjae. “Who is this, honey? A friend?” Juyeon asks, voice friendly yet he can see the knowing look in Juyeon’s eyes. 

The witch isn’t quite sure what to react to first - the fact that Juyeon just called him _honey_ , or the fact he’s still got his hand around his waist. He instead chooses to play along, eyes sliding over to Minhwa as he says, “Just an old acquaintance.”

“What are you talking about? Of _course_ we’re friends,” Minhwa interjects, and Hyunjae is suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at the way the other witch has suddenly taken an interest in Juyeon. She’s fluttering her lashes obnoxiously, as she takes a step towards them. “I’ve known Hyunjae here for a while,” she says, eyes fixated on Juyeon.

The shifter’s expression is stony, as he says, “Doesn’t seem like it - last time I checked, ‘friends’ don’t drag each other off against their will,” Juyeon comments, the words making Hyunjae bite his lip in an attempt to hold back a giggle, and making Minhwa’s face turn red.

“Yes, well, who are you exactly? Hyunjae’s never mentioned _a shifter_ before,” she’s firing back and Hyunjae can’t resist speaking up, saying, “We haven’t talk for the past hundred years, Minhwa-sshi,” he says, emphasizing how ‘close’ their relationship is by the use of the formalities. 

Juyeon is coughing to hide a smile, as he says, “I’m Juyeon. Hyunjae’s _familiar_ and _boyfriend_ ,”

If it wasn’t for the fact that Hyunjae’s own brain was malfunctioning at the words, he would’ve laughed at the shocked expression on Minhwa’s own face, the other witch clearly baffled. 

It’s clear she isn’t going to be recovering from the blow any time soon, which is why Juyeon is clearing his throat, hand still around Hyunjae’s waist as he says, “Now, if you’ll excuse us, me and my boyfriend will be taking our leave now, Minhwa-sshi,” he says, before gently guiding both of them away, a careful hand on the small of Hyunjae’s back.

Only once they’re out of earshot, does Hyunjae turn to look at Juyeon. “Boyfriend _and_ familiar? Really?” he asks, and the shifter is grinning. “It got her to back off, though,”

Hyunjae is huffing. No doubt word of this is going to get out, and it’s not going to be pretty. He’s groaning at the thought, as he asks Juyeon, “Do you even know what a familiar is?” The shifter is grinning as he shakes his head. “No clue! Just heard it tossed around before, and thought I’d try my luck,”

The words have the witch groaning. Of course. Juyeon seems oblivious, as he says, “Isn’t it just like a friendly animal sidekick or something?” he guesses, and Hyunjae is giving a hesitant nod. “Close enough,” He conveniently leaves out the part about how familiars are often thought to coexist with their witch by consuming their blood or... _other bodily fluids_ , as well as having their souls bonded to one another.

“I guess I should, um, thank you for that, though,” Hyunjae says, looking at the shifter. And his breath is getting caught in his throat when he’s made fully aware just how _gorgeous_ Juyeon is once more, especially with that stunning grin that Juyeon has as he stares at Hyunjae, eyes shining. The witch is clearing his throat as he looks away, face red, mumbling, “You didn’t have to do that, you know,”

“Of course I didn’t have to but...I wanted to,” Juyeon says, looking at Hyunjae. There’s a moment, a split second where they just look at each other, unspoken words and hidden feelings clear on their faces, before Juyeon is smiling once more, nudging Hyunjae’s shoulder with his own. “After all, isn’t that what neighbours are for?”

A smile comes to Hyunjae’s own face, as he lets out a breathy laugh. “Yeah. I.. um, yeah, I guess so,” he says, looking to Juyeon. The shifter is grinning at him, before glancing around the room. “Were you just about to leave?” he asks, and Hyunjae is lifting a shoulder. “Yeah, I really wasn’t feeling the need to stick around,” he replies, and Juyeon nods. “Cool. Hey, did you wanna, I dunno, go get some dinner and then watch a movie, or something?”

Hyunjae looks up at the shifter, noticing how for what seems like the first time, Juyeon seems to be _blushing_. He bites back a smile, as he instead says, “I’m okay with spending the night alone. I wouldn’t want to intrude on whatever plans you have for tonight, Juyeon-ah,” 

He _might’ve_ said Juyeon’s name with more fondness than he meant to, his own ears burning once he realizes how easily the pet name slipped out. But the shifter doesn’t seem fazed at all, as he only replies with the words, “I...I don’t really have any plans,” rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

The words catch Hyunjae off guard. “You can’t be serious. You came here looking like _this_ because you didn’t have any plans?” Hyunjae says, gesturing to how _gorgeous_ Juyeon looks. “You look stunning, by the way - I’m sure your night will go more than well,” Hyunjae says, smiling at him, as he moves to walk past him. But Juyeon is catching his wrist, as he says, “Hyung,”

And the way Juyeon looks at him, eyes filled with so many _emotions_ , that Hyunjae feels so tiny under his gaze, the witch can hardly keep eye contact. “I...I came here for you,”

“What?”

The shifter is letting out a small laugh, as he repeats himself. “I wanted to see you. Which is why… I’m here,” he says, and Hyunjae finds himself at a loss for words. Juyeon, for the first time since Hyunjae met him, seems _shy_ , and the witch doesn’t know what to say.

“O-oh,” is all he can find to reply with, mentally cursing himself for the unintelligent response. A moment passes, before Hyunjae is clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, I’m so bad at these things um,” the witch is looking around nervously, before looking at the shifter once more, as he says, “Then… how does takeout and a movie sound?” 

The words have Juyeon’s eyes lighting up as he looks at Hyunjae, a small smile coming to his lips. “I’d really like that,” the shifter responds, and Hyunjae is giving him his own small smile. “I can meet you at my place in an hour,” he says, gesturing to the gala. “Take your time doing whatever before you come,”

“There’s no need. I never really liked gatherings like this anyways,” Juyeon responds easily, as they head to the exit together. A fond smile comes to Hyunjae’s lips, as he lets out a small laugh of his own.

And as they walk out, Hyunjae finds himself staring at the side of Juyeon’s face as the shifter talks about something he discovered the other day, and okay, maybe Hyunjae was wrong about him. Maybe Juyeon isn’t _that_ bad, and while he might be an annoying brat at times...maybe there’s something else about him that’s just a little bit charming. Just a bit.

A feeling Hyunjae’s never felt before is making his heart pound and his stomach do flips, and it only increases as the night goes on, the two of them sitting in Hyunjae’s living room eating Chinese takeout and watching The Incredibles 1 and 2 in their suits, laughing and talking the entire time.

Maybe he feels something for Juyeon other than annoyance - the way his heart flutters and his cheeks feel warm are definitely signs of something else.

“Hey hyung?”

“Yeah?”

“You know… I really wouldn’t mind being your familiar. It sounds fun,” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae’s face is heating up. Juyeon looks confused, head tilting to the side innocently, the witch completely forgetting he didn’t go into specifics about what that entails.

“Shut up,” he mumbles, and Juyeon’s eyes are wide, not knowing what he did wrong. “What? Why not?”

The shifter whines for the next thirty minutes, pestering Hyunjae to spill the beans, as the witch refuses, smiling fondly at the way Juyeon whines and complains, acting like a little kid.

 _‘He’s so annoying,’_ he thinks to himself, even as Juyeon turns into a little cat and curls up next to Hyunjae, his little head resting on the witch’s thigh. _‘He’s such a brat,’_ The two of them doze off in front of the TV, Hyunjae’s hand stroking Juyeon’s fur, the cat purring as he pressed close to the witch. And Hyunjae is smiling lightly, as he thinks, _‘I guess he’s my annoying brat,’_ before slipping into unconsciousness, the tiny smile still on his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little (big) oneshot! Thank you for reading this far hehe
> 
> Thank you once again! I love you all so very much <3
> 
> \- Eunhae


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